Groups consider meeting on flood retention plan, future of library
By Rae KrugerMARSHALL - The city council, Marshall School Board, Lyon County commissioners and the Marshall-Lyon County Library Board could all meet at the end of this month to discuss a flood retention plan and its impact on a proposed new library site.
It appeared the proposed new library may need to move from the planned site at the intersection C Street and Saratoga Street near the Middle School after a June 11 meeting on flood control in that area of Marshall. It was suggested at the June 11 meeting to move the library to the old junior high site. The move was needed to create a flood retention pond near the school, officials said.
Marshall city engineer/director of public works Glenn Olson said at Monday's council meeting the school is also considering a retention pond site near the track at the Middle School. That site will cost more to do, Olson said.
Olson suggested the involved government bodies meet on July 29 to discuss the final review of flood control and options.
Councilwoman Jennie Hulsizer, the council's liaison to the library board, said the council needs to discuss the flood control pond and the possibility of moving the library. Other involved entities were expected to do so after June 11, but the council has not yet talked about it, Hulsizer said.
"At what point do we explore other sites so we don't have to move the library off C Street?" councilman Dan Ritter said at Monday's meeting.
"At that point," Olson said of a July 29 meeting.
It appeared Monday that Ritter was reluctant to move the library to the old junior site.
While he did not say he was against a library project at the old junior high site, Ritter said he didn't support reserving the site only for public projects, especially if the city gets the site back from the Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership.
Former city assessor Cal Barnett "told us the property is worth $600,000 to $700,000," Ritter said. The site should also be considered for a project that would put the property back on the tax rolls, Ritter said.
The council discussed a proposed agreement between the city and the SWMHP that would sell the junior high site to the city for $1 and transfer about three acres of land in the Parkway III Addition to SWMHP.
The city would give back the $100,000 the SWMHP paid for the old junior high site, economic development director Mark Hanson said.
Hanson said the SWMHP is willing to give up the old junior high site and a proposed townhouse project to allow the city to build a new library on the site.
The SWMHP bought the property in good faith to build a housing project, Hanson said.
Councilmen Mike Boedigheimer and Charlie Sanow said they had a problem with giving the $100,000 back.
Ritter agreed. "This is kind of a one-sided deal," he said.
Sanow was concerned about how the agreement could be waived if the library wasn't built at the junior high.
Discussion continued until city administrator Ben Martig suggested city staff and Simpson should review the agreement.
City attorney Dennis Simpson said he had not reviewed the proposed agreement.
Hanson said the agreement was not for action Monday night but review.
The discussion ended when Martig suggested the staff and Simpson should review the agreement so the council could discuss it again.
