District Library Board approves option for 360 Charles St.

The Belleville Area District Library Board voted unanimously to accept an option agreement to buy the property next door at 360 Charles Street for $200,000, if voters approve funding to construct a new library.
At its Feb. 9 meeting, Building Committee chairwoman Joy Cichewicz said in 2013, when the board was making preliminary plans for several sites, it had an option for a $275,000 price for this property.
The agreement, with Belynda Domas of HD Accounting, includes paying property taxes for two years. The option runs until July 31, 2018.
Trustee Mary Jane Dawson said the board doesn’t know the property’s worth and whether it is a fair price, “… and, it might be.”
“If we’re spending more than the property’s worth, then that’s a problem,” Dawson said. “We would pay the closing costs and taxes for two years.”
Board attorney John Day said the board could look at the assessment the city has on the property and double it. The numbers could be the same or the numbers could be wildly different for the cash value.
“This is what she’s offering,” Day said, referring to what Domas had offered at a recent meeting. “This is an adjacent parcel … and you would generally pay a premium.”
Board chairwoman Sharon Peters put the board in recess for about 12 minutes while Cichewicz went to a computer in the library to get the State Equalized Value of the property online.
Domas arrived from a previous engagement and told the board that she had a mortgage study done and she was told the value of the property is from $150,000 to $200,000, not adding in the cost of relocating her business in Belleville. She offered to go out to her car to get the paperwork on that study.
“We’ve got a willing seller and a willing buyer,” Day said after she left the room. “She’s in the striking zone. You’re looking not at today’s price, but at two years down the road, which should be more.”
When Domas brought in the study, it had comparables on sale in the city, including a car wash, an ice cream shop, and the former flower shop on East Huron River Drive and everyone agreed these were not good comparables for 360 Charles.
Cichewicz brought in paperwork that showed the city’s assessed value is $57,400 for 2015. Twice that would be the sales price.
Day said what the agreement does is take the property off the market for two years, pays her taxes, and then buys it at the locked-in price of $200,000.
“It’s important that the board raises questions,” chairwoman Peters said of the discussion.
Then the board voted unanimously to enter into the option agreement for 360 Charles St.
In other business at its Feb. 9 meeting, the board:
• Heard Cichewicz report on the recent trip to the city council meeting to tell members their plans for the new library on Fourth Street and to get their ideas. A committee was set up of Councilmen Tom Smith and Tom Fielder, Planning Commission chairman Steve Jones, and city attorney Steve Hitchcock to work with attorney Day on a development agreement that would spell out who does what, in what order. The plan is to take down the HB Accounting office first for parking during construction and later for formalized library and city parking;
• Heard Cichewicz report that she and Dawson and Mike Boelter met with Sumpter Township Supervisor John Morgan and Treasurer Alan Bates about use of the octagon building for computers and other electronic equipment for a library site. “They showed the same enthusiasm as the city of Belleville,” Cichewicz reported. “It was a good meeting. Short and sweet”;
• Heard Boelter say that he is happy to see the response to the board’s new path for a new building. “We’re sharing that vision with others,” Peters said. “We’ve had meetings with Van Buren Township, Sumpter Township and the city of Belleville. This board has been working together very well – but we have a long way to go”;
• Heard Dawson say the Friends of the Library made more than $500 at its recent used book sale and gained nine new members. She said since it was “buy-one-get-one” a lot of books went out the door;
• Was informed of Peters’ new assignments for committee chairpersons: Cichewicz is Building Committee; Tanya Stoudemire is Finance; Dawson is Marketing; Boelter is Personnel; and Lachelle Reed Caver is Policy; and
• Heard a report on the reception held to discuss the library that drew 65-70 guests and 15 filled out slips to offer to help with building a new library. Circulation Clerk Beth Booher catered the event and she and her husband donated all the food.