The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners met on Monday, September 20, 2010 for the regular monthly meeting. The meeting was mainly filled with routine matters such as appointments to various board and committees, election of notaries, etc. The issue garnering the most attention was one that was added to the agenda. It involved the possible sale of the old Art Circle Public Library building.
On July 19th, 2010, the previous County Commission, on the recommendation of the Building and Grounds Committee, voted to surplus the building and property on East First Street and bid it out for sale. The property was given a market value of $420,000 after an inspection and certified appraisal on March 9, 2010. The County received only one bidder on the property for an amount of $315,000. In a unanimous vote, all Commissioners agreed that the bid was too low and should be rejected. The discussion centered about what should happen next. Many Commissioners stated that they did not think the building should be sold as both the Election Commission and the District Attorney’s office showed interest in the building. Other Commissioners stated that it would be too expensive to maintain and that the space wasn’t needed.
At this point, I tend to believe that the County should keep the building and try to put it to good use either as a rental or as space for County Departments as needed. I do intend on looking into what the building will cost to maintain and to see what other uses it might have. I also want to get feedback from you. What do you believe the County should do with this real estate? Contact me and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
The county attorney mentioned that a road, Claysville Lane (in the Wildwood area on highway 70 past the flea market) has inadvertently been left off the County Road list. The Environmental Committee will discuss adding it back at the next meeting. CountyMayor Carey also noted that he was looking into the creation of a taskforce concerning the Tansi Utility District as there appears to be much public interest in it.
There are several committee meetings going on during the remainder of September. For time and locations, please check my website at http://allenfoster.net. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to contact me.
Allen
allenfoster.com 