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Benton Harbor Area News
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GBNEItAL PRAc:na 01' LAW
181 7143
LEA G
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-Ewtylltilt, We Touch,
T.",., ttl SOLD-
ve to relocate city
office to mayor;s
brother's building
By Bernice Br
Conesponden:
BENTON HARBOR -City
Commissioners heard a
proposal to relocate the City's
Community Development
Department (CDD) from the
basement of city hall to the Vin
cent Place on Main Street at the
Monday night October 30,
meeting.
By a 5-3 vote the commis
sion said no to putting COD in
the building the city recently
sold to the brother of Mayor
William Wolf.
City Manager Steve Man
ning told the commission at
their Thursday, October 26,
workshop that he would like to
move CDD from the basement
because it was very noisy, cold
in the winter and hot in the sum
mer.
"It is not some place you want
people to come for business."
Manning said the space in
the basement is usable, but the
employees are cramped up and
have to put up with the fumes
from a chimney when the heat is
turned on.
Manning said the heating
system is badly in need of
repairs and the estimated cost
for another heating system
would be about $230,000.
When the air conditioning is
on upstairs it is hard to hear
what. is being said, Manning
said, but it is "eight times worse
in the basement."
Coinmissioner Kerry Shan
non said if Community
Development can pay rent, they
might as well pay it to the City
on the upgrading of the heating
system at City Hall.
Commissioner Steve
Wooden said if the city was
going to move anyone, let them
move the Downtown Develop
ment Authority (DDA). Let
them go and rent some space for
their people, be said.
Manning said the DDA had
plans to move in the next 120
days into the old Inter-City
Bank building. When DDA
moves the City's attorney, the
copier machine and files will be
moved across the hall in their
place, Manning said. Then the
commission will be able to hold
their workshops and pre-meet
ing In the space the attorney va
cates, he noted.
Commi sioner Charles
Yarbrough said he didn't see
how they could keep anybody
down in the basement if there
were fumes. "If you can move
one perso for health reaso
how can you leave somebody
else down there for the same
reason? he eel, but "If we are
going to leave one person there,
1ets leave everybody there, -
but if you are going to remove
one, let's remove them all,"
Yarbrough said he wanted to
read the lease that was drawn
up for office space at the Vin
cent Place because he and the
other commissioners didn't
know what was in it.
Mayor William Wolf said it
was only a resolution authoriz
ing the staff to execute a lease
agreement for office space at
the Vincent Place, no pprov
ing a lease. But Yarbrough said,
"I might as well say it, 'I'm jus a
little bit leery. about doing '
ness with the Mayor's brother."
Earlier this year the mayor's
brother, Wino Wolf and Ross
Hadley, owner of Clean
America, bid on the Vincent
Place. Wolf bid $275,000 and
Hadley bid, $300,000. Before
the city could announce their
winner of the bid, Hadley and
Wolf had incorporated and a
new purchase agreement w
drawn up using Hadley's bid of
$300,000.
In August, 1989 the commis
sion was' to approve the pur
chase agreement from
developer Ross Hadley and
Winn Wolf for the amount of
$300,000, but- the commission
received a new propo al stating
th t Hadley had pulled ou of
the deal, leaving the city to ap
prove the proposal of Wolf for
$275,000. D pite a lot of con
troversy, the commission voted
to approve it.
The lease at the Vincent
Place for the ommunity
Development would have co t
the city $300 per month, from
ovember 1, 1989 through J un
30, 1990 and $575 per month,
July 1, 1990 through June, 1991.
An increase of $1 per q. ft. each
year thereafter. All utilities
were to be included.
Voting in favor of the resolu
tion were Commissioners
Michael Govatos, Fred ims
and George Wysinger. Voting
no were Commi ioners Ralph
Crenshaw, Kerry Sh nn n, Ar
nold Smith, Steve Wed
Charles Yarbrough. Mayor
Wolf abstained.
In other bu ine th m-
mission v ted to:
- Accept 10 properties bac
from the City's Homestead
Board that remain unsold. The
city will now put the properties
up for bid. Commissioner
George Wysinger voted against
this resolution, saying, he didn't
want any of the slum landlords
getting hold of them.
- Purchase clump truck
and a service truck for the city's
Utility Service Department
from Shamrock Ford of South
C tiD 16
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