Sell a park, buy a building

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Lansing voters will determine the fate of the Miller Road Community Center and Grand Woods Park in Delta Township Nov. 4 in two ballot proposals to sell the city properties.

The local Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. has leased the 5,900-square-foot former community center at 6025 Curry Lane – one of the properties on the chopping block – since 2013.

The nonprofit did not return phone calls or messages to City Pulse.

But Randy Hannan, the mayor´s chief of staff and communications director, said the nonprofit theater group might consider buying the property if voters approve it for sale. It all depends on the price; the theater group has been leasing it for $100 a month plus utility costs.

“They have an interest in staying there and they have an interest in potentially acquiring the property,” Hannan said. “We don´t have any intention to push them out of there.”

Meanwhile, Delta Township appears to be the most likely buyer of the 128-acre Grand Woods Park, located just south of the Capital Region International Airport, off of North Willow Highway.

The township has leased the property for just $1 per year for the last 30 years and also paid for the park´s bathrooms and mainte nance.

Local cross-county teams and disc golfers use it. But if voters approve the sale, the township may have to pay more if local residents are to continue using it.

“We definitely want to keep Grand Woods Park in our park system, but it´s got to be a fair and reasonable price,” said Kenneth Fletcher, the township supervisor. “It´s a good park and the residents in that area have enjoyed using it all those years, so it´s certainly our hope to see it remain as a park.”

Neither Hannan nor Fletcher could say what the property is worth because no appraisal has been conducted. That´s typically done after voters approve city property for sale, Hannan said.

Delta Township´s current two-year lease for the park ends in 2015. In February the township will have to do an appraisal of the property, according to its contract with the city.

If voters OK the ballot proposal, the city will begin negotiating with the township and other potential buyers.

This trend of selling city properties, which Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero calls “right sizing,” has been going on for years. Previous ballot proposals to close the Red Cedar and Waverly golf courses a few years ago are a couple examples.

Hannan said the city would continue evaluating which of its current properties are superfluous.

“We are systematically reviewing all of the city´s assets … to determine whether the kind of value that we expect is actually being delivered,” Hannan said.

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