Elkins Council Votes To Purchase New City Hall
Building Will Unite City Departments Under One Roof
Last updated Thursday, July 24, 2008 7:50 PM CDT in News
By Bob Caudle
The Morning News
ELKINS - Mayor Jack Ladyman knew he'd found a bargain for Elkins' taxpayers.
The mayor located a 10,400-square-foot building for $295,000 to relocate and consolidate city hall, the court and water department into one building.
The cost works out to be approximately $25 per square foot.
The Elkins City Council OK'd the purchase in a special meeting Wednesday night, but not before adjourning for an on-site visit to the building.
The structure is a former hardware store, most recently used as a flea market. It has an open floor plan with a few offices downstairs and a mezzanine and more offices upstairs.
The council returned from the visit and approved the purchase of the building in a 5-1 decision. Alderman Bruce Ledford was the lone dissenting vote. Ledford maintained the city should pool its money and build a city hall customized to the city's needs.
Aldermen struggled with the decision, because Elkins is recovering from a tough economic year when the city was forced to cut back in every department.
"We're just now getting our economics and budget turned around since the first of the year," said Alderwoman Bonnie Cook. "We're starting to get some money and we go running out to spend it like a kid in a candy store."
Ladyman and Alderman Bobby McGarrah pointed out in the long run the purchase will save the city money when the current three buildings hosting city services are sold.
"All those buildings have been appraised at $337,000," McGarrah said.
Plus, the mayor added, the city is paying separate utility bills every month.
Payments for the building will run approximately $2,400 per month with a 20-year loan or $1,900 per month on a 40-year loan. The building's owner is financing the city at a rate of 5 percent.
The city will have to redo the loan every five years, according to City Attorney Danny Wright. State statutes limit cities to five years of indebtedness at a time, Wright said.
Ladyman gave the council a breakdown on moving costs. The cost for the move and remodeling is $7,900, an estimate given by Ron Courtney construction.
"We'd looked at building a city hall," Ladyman said. "But to get what we needed, it would have wound up costing around $4 million."
Ladyman pointed out a l9-acre parcel near the intersection of Arkansas 16 and Arkansas 74 would have been good for a site for a municipal building.
The site is good, the land is good, but the price is more than $250,000, Ladyman said, "and that's just for the land. We'd still have to build on it."
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