Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed wants the city council to purchase lots on Moulton Street for a convention center, but the city council wants time to think about it.
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed wants the city council to purchase lots on Moulton Street for a convention center, but the city council wants time to think about it.
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed wants to spend $2 million on some property on Moulton Street for a convention center, but the Montgomery City Council said they want more time to think about it.
Lots at 425 and 475 Moulton Street are being offered for $2 million, plus $500,000 in fees and closing costs. Two firms, Back Stage and Farpoint, are involved in the sale.
“This is a great deal, a great opportunity for the city of Montgomery,” Reed told the city council at their Dec. 2 meeting. “It’ll benefit the region, even those who live outside the city.”
The seller wants the city to close the deal by Dec. 27 to avoid having to cover another $100,000, Reed said. To meet that deadline, the seller will have to sign off by Dec. 11.
“We’re not in the best position timewise,” Reed said.
Councilor Charles Jinwright didn’t like being rushed. “It’s awful tight for us to be pushed in that corner to close that quickly on a piece of property that’s been vacant for quite some time,” Jinwright said.
He pointed out that the city has spent about $80,000 on a survey to determine the feasibility of using the lots for a convention center, but the results of the survey are not yet available.
“The property is what’s key here,” Economic Development Director Frank Robinson told Jinwright. “Because no matter if the survey is coming back for a potential convention center, that property is key to unlocking the economic prosperity of all of downtown and the region.”
While Reed said that he understood the concerns regarding the timeframe, he urged the council take action soon.
“We don’t want to lose a big fish that we have on the hook,” Reed said.
Councilor Glenn Pruitt requested that the council carry over the proposal to next week. The city council will meet on Monday, Dec. 8 at 1 p.m.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.