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VOL. VI. O. 11 flE ... UARY 12 - II, 1,'14
Oowaga.c Olilly New, photo by John Eby
t, in • cotton ·chard
_,,._ Chun: production of "The Way
.. -_,., .... 1PV 26 Mt. Zion, 100 Miller Street
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NO NORTH'OF MAl
BUY-OUTS
By Terry KeUy
BE TO HARBOR- "That is a
witch - the folks talk out of both
sides 0,( their mouths, don t they?"
That was the reaction of illie Hor­
ton, resident of the city's orth of' ain
.lndustrial Park area, to th city's late t
. decision on hIS neighborhood.
At the February 21 city commi 'on
meeting, commissioners voted to pend
f�nd available for the- orth of am on
an economic development staff, market­
mg the area, demolition, of vacant proper­
ty and loans to busines willing to locate
in the city.
_ Tl!e vote marks a shift in direction for
the proposed orth of ain Indu trial
Park area.
Horton, owner of Hull and Horton
Pest Control who ha lived in his home
43 years, explained the shift in city poli­
cy.
'They have been promising the peopl
in this area they would be relocated,"
Horton said.
City Community Development Direc­
tor Bill Lilly denies that the commission
vote represents any change in plan �
, e are changing the method of pro-
ceeding," Lilly said. . '
The city does not. have the funds to
, acquire and relocate residents, Lilly
said.
. The city will receive over 400,000
from Alreco Metals Inc. in April which
is to be used for the orthiof ain. The
money was from HUD and was loaned
by the city to Alreco in an Urban Devel­
opment Action Grant. Alreco will pay
back the 1.3 million over the next
five year. All of the payback is suppo­
sed to be used for orth of Main.
The commi ion approved pending
the Alreco payment as follows:
-Demolition of re idential and com­
mercial structures, 45,000.
- A marketing plan to sell the orth
of Main' area to prospective business and
industry, $3S ,000. . .
-Economic development director for
45,500, secretary for $19,500 and oper­
ting costs of 15 OOO�
.,
-A GAP" financing program to make
250,000 available for loans to busine ses
and industries willing to expand or relo­
cate in the city, not nece rily the orth
of ain.
-Administration co ts of the city, �'9
9,250. ._
Lilly said that city staff will meet ith
area property owners "in the near future"
to explain what "the chang in method­
ology mean."
Lilly declined to comment further
referring to the city manager. 0 one
answered the city manager's phone for
the two tt mpts this pap r made ed­
nesday morning to call.
In 1981 the city al 0 applied for and
received an Urban Land Bank loan from
the state for 330 000 to be used to pur­
chase land in the orth fain. .
Bill Lilly, Community Devel pment
Director for the city, told The itizen
that tho fund can only be u ed at
the tail-end of the proiect.
Horton served on the city's orth of
ain Advisory Commi tee that last met
in December of 1981 .
At that time, the city h d never held
a public hearing on the proposed orth
of ain par ; had never formally appro­
ved the proposal.
The Advisory Committee voted then
"to make top priority, the acquisition
of residential property" in the orth of
Main area.
The Advisory Committee in Decem­
ber of 1981 voted three other recom­
mendations for the city:
-Have the soil tested to e if it would
support industrial development. The city
did that and the tests revealed the watet
table would not support heavy industry)
but would take light industry.
-Demolish a list of 14 vacant, sub­
standard structure. The city has also
accomplished th t recommendation
using UD fund.
- nitiate procedures to cquire and
relocate busine in non-conforming
buildings in the rea bounded by ain,
Contin on 12