Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Wakefield — Members of the Wakefield City Council voted Monday evening to enter a purchase agreement for two industrial lots intended for pending use by the Department of Public Works.
The cost now stated in the agreement is $400,000, and a written report by City Manager Robert Brown, Jr. states that the total cost could run more than $600,000 due to interest on an expected 30-year government loan of $450,000.
The targeted property — which is southwest of Sunday Lake — consists of about eight acres and three buildings totaling 11,500 square feet on Industrial Drive, directly off of U.S. 2.
Signage for the former Lakeshore Equipment and Truck Sales, which closed in 2019 after operating there for several years, is still on the property.
Monday’s action was unanimous with all council members present, and it followed months of discussion at several previous meetings, including closed sessions.
Brown also reported that Building Inspector Donald “Butch” Saari had inspected the property in full. “Overall, he gave it a clean bill of health,” said Brown.
After the meeting, Brown told the Globe that the city had explored several options to address DPW needs. “This was the most bang for the buck for the taxpayers,” he said.
The purchase agreement was completed by City Attorney Ray O’Dea and Daniel Maki, who owns the property with his wife, Deanna Maki. The Makis are from Bessemer.
The city manager warned that the agreement includes the following contingencies:
—the city’s ability to obtain funding from the Rural Development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a process that could take months;
—completion of a Phase 1 environmental study by Coleman Engineering Company in Ironwood, expected at the start of 2021;
—an appraisal showing an acceptable value of the property that supports the purchase price; and
—further inspection resulting in no issues of concern.
Brown said a related public hearing also will be held, perhaps as soon as mid-January in 2021.
DPW staff now work out of the following three locations: 1. the city garage attached to the former City Hall on Sunday Lake Street; 2. a metal building known as “the Quonset Hut” further south on the same street; and 3. a site on Old U.S. 2, just west of Lakeside Cemetery.
In a Dec. 15 letter to the editor, Robert Blaskowski of Wakefield — a former member of the City Council — criticized the city’s interest in the current purchase agreement and suggested instead that the Old U.S. 2 site could be repurposed to suit DPW needs.
Blaskowski stated that the industrial lots noted in the city’s purchase agreement would be better saved for future industry that would add to the city’s tax base.
In response to that letter, Brown told the Globe that city officials regard all three current DPW locations as unsuitable for continuing use.
He described the current structures as having “zero life in them,” based on assessments by the city building inspector and engineers.
If the city attempted to rehabilitate the Old U.S. 2 site, Brown said it would be faced with a list of expenses to address, including no current water and sewer, no sufficient road, and the need to demolish a useless structure.
In addition, said Brown, the city then would have to prepare the site and pay for construction of a new building, all of which would result in being far more expensive than the current plan.
Moreover, he added, “We still couldn’t fit everything we need on that property.”
Brown said that the Maki lots now targeted on Industrial Drive will allow the DPW to store all of its equipment in one location while still having additional space and plenty of outdoor room for gravel, plows and other items.
“Our DPW lead (Jim Tarro) has been down there several times,” said Brown, who assured that he is confident it will meet his staff’s needs.
Brown added that the city also would have the option to lease some of the space it does not need, thus allowing it to earn taxes from those expected agreements.
