The Greenwood City Council approved the sale of the Russell Building back to Greenwood attorney Lee Abraham for $140,000 by a 3-1 vote Tuesday.
The city bought the building for $150,000 in 2010 with the hope of turning it into a focal point downtown, possibly as a convention center.
However, a proposed 1 percent lodging tax that would have provided funds for the project failed in the state House of Representatives over the past three years. The city didn’t have funds available to keep the building secure from the elements, according to Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams, and its structure had been significantly compromised.
Once the lot is cleared of debris, the city will repurchase the property for $90,000, which McAdams said is its appraised value. The mayor said she hopes a new building can be placed there if funding is available.
McAdams vowed to continue to seek the lodging tax in the state Legislature to help cover the cost of such a project.
Abraham assumes the liability for the building. The city has cordoned off parts of Fulton Street and Carrollton Avenue for the past month and a half to keep pedestrians and motorists clear of it.
City Attorney Don Brock said he intended to complete the necessary paperwork for the building’s transfer back to Abraham today.
City Council President Ronnie Stevenson, Ward 4’s Charles McCoy, Ward 5’s Dorothy “Dot” Glenn and Ward 7’s Carl Palmer were the only council members in attendance Tuesday. Glenn cast the sole vote against selling the property but declined to comment on the reason for her vote.
Stevenson said if nothing comes of the redevelopment plan, the vacant lot could be sold to Greenwood Utilities, which originally wanted the site for a parking lot.
In other business, the council gave final approval to a Tax Increment Financing plan for the Landing retail project.
Laurence Leyens, a consultant with Urban Planning Consultants Inc. of Vicksburg, explained the plan.
“The developer will build all the public infrastructure as part of the project,” Leyens said. “The city and the county will pledge up to 100 percent of the increase in ad valorem tax to reimburse the developer for certain eligible expenses. He will then sign those back over to the city, including that new road that will be going through the property.”
He said the $8 million project — the first one approved under the joint city and Leflore County development program — will be a “very high-level restaurant, retail and gas facility.”
The council also approved:
nThe transfer of surplus portable radios to the city of Itta Bena (10), Amanda Elzy Junior High School (10), the Gravel Hill Fire Department (11) and the Isola Police Department (10). The radios are no longer usable for the Greenwood police since they switched over to “narrow band” radios, Chief Henry Purnell said.
nThe sale of two used police vehicles to the city of Itta Bena for $1 each.
nThe approval of a certificate of appropriateness to Brewer and Pittman Estate Sales for the renovation of a façade at 109 W. Market St.
A council budget workshop is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday.
McAdams said although the city’s 2014 budget is extremely tight, she did not expect any tax increases for next year.
McAdams said Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann will be in Greenwood on Monday to discuss state-owned property located within the city.
Hosemann will hold a press conference at 1:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall to discuss the process for purchasing the properties, she said.
The council also heard a request from Carl Winters, president of the Baptist Town Community Organization.
Winters asked if the city would provide advertising funding for the group’s bingo giveaway, which is scheduled for Oct. 12.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
