Posted: 4:23 p.m.Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Middletown looks to buy backformer senior center building

MIDDLETOWN — 

Thecity of Middletownwants to buy back the former Middletown Area Senior Citizens Center building atthe southwest corner of Columbia Avenue and Verity Parkway, which it previously soldas part of a package deal to Higher Education Partners.

Thecity had hoped to pass legislation Tuesday approving the $20,000 purchase as anemergency measure — meaning consideration was needed at just one councilmeeting — but not enough council members were present to do so.

Middletown had previously sold a group of buildings — including the former CG&E building, First National Bank and senior center property —to HEP for use by the Middletown branch of the Cincinnati State Technical &Community College, according to a written report to council by City ManagerDoug Adkins.

But“Cincinnati State does not have a future use for theold senior citizens building and HEP is considering selling the building,”Adkins wrote in his report.

HEPoffered to transfer the title back to the city for $20,000, which is the amountit says it has “incurred to date in purchase and carrying costs associated withthe building in lieu of marketing the property to the public,” Adkins wrote.

“Staffbelieves the city should take title back to protect future use of the buildingadjacent to City Hall,” he said in his report.

Becausethe city charter discourages use of one-meeting decisions — partly because theylimit the opportunity for the public to comment on pending council decisions —at least four of council’s five members must be present at a meeting, and allpresent must vote to consider legislation on an emergency basis.

Butonly three council members attended Tuesday’s meeting. Vice Mayor Dora Bronstonwas out of town and Council Member Talbott Moon was called away at the lastminute for a family emergency, so Mayor Larry Mulligan Jr. announced thebuilding sale as well as three other items could not be considered until theMay 3 meeting.

Adkins,in his report to council, offered three possible ways Middletown could use theformer senior center property: selling it through a real estate company or byadvertising it on the city’s website; renovating the space “for cityfunctions”; or “we could demolish the building and utilize the space for greenpark space or additional city parking downtown.”

Middletown’s purchases and salesof downtown buildings have come with controversy.

TheJournal-News reported in 2014 the city would lose $60,000 on downtown building deals in had previously made.

Earlierthis year, residents expressed concerns about the $1 sale of a dilapidated building at 1316 Vail Ave. and two adjacentvacant properties to startup micro-distillery Liberty Spirits LLC.

Theother three items that did not go to a vote Tuesday:

·                      A resolution adjusting appropriations within the city’s 2016budget

·                      An ordinance for a loan agreement with the Ohio Department ofTransportation to build a two-lane access road from Union Road to the proposedAK Steel Research and Innovation Center and the paving of several roads

·                      An ordinance allowing the city to spend $42,375 to rehabilitateproduction well No. 7, which in 1999 produced 4 million gallons per day but nowprovides about half that.