By: Diane Benjamin
Last night the Council voted to build a temporary structure to house City vehicles. They claim the lease on the old Bus Barn has expired, besides the building isn’t safe.
A few facts were left out!
The City used that building for two years for ZERO rent. In 2014 the City decided to start paying rent to Connect Transit – $62,718.50 per year – for a building that should have been condemned because of holes in the roof! See this story:
https://blnnews.com/2014/07/31/bloomington-this-is-the-building-you-are-now-paying-for/
Obviously the rent was a way to funnel money to Connect Transit without saying that was the purpose.
Last night one of the reasons given for spending around $73,000 for a maybe 20-year temporary structure is that it will save the $62,817.50. Brilliant.
Now yet another eyesore is still standing downtown. A private owner would have been held responsible for the decrepit building, instead the City used tax dollars to reward Connect Transit.
The City could have used all that rent money to fix the roof – they would have had a building. Connect transit should have signed it over to them because they abandoned it.
Is the City going to order Connect Transit to tear it down?
I can see the City buying it since they no longer have a structural deficit. Sale price will probably be $500,000 just because it’s a prime location.
(Yes, that was a joke)
“Last night the Council voted to build a temporary structure to house City vehicles. They claim the lease on the old Bus Barn has expired, besides the building isn’t safe.”
1) So renew the lease. Offer new lease terms such as fixing the roof for reduced rent, which is common with a commercial triple net lease.
2) For cryin’ out loud, cut some weeds down. That property IS an eyesore due to lack of maintenance. It (could) be nice but, the city doesn’t take care of what it has due to incompetent management.
3) Why does the city need a garage? So the non-air conditioned dump trucks won’t be hot when city workers get in them? So their dashboards won’t crack? I don’t have a garage for my truck! Neither does my neighbor or the next guy down the street.
4) Old buildings across Main St. and under the viaduct with bad roofs were hard to even give away so I would say the bus garage is worth way less than $500K. Maybe 99.
$1.
I know at one time the YMCA contemplated buying that property after Connect Transit moved out. Their plan was to enlarge the Y onto that property and have a skywalk. At least that is what I was told. I have no clue why that never materialized.
Um, don’t forget the City can always sell it or auction it to the Huffs and then sit back until it’s really an eyesore, and then ‘negotiate’ to buy it back.