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Manchester Inn SOLD

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middielover View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote middielover Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Manchester Inn SOLD
    Posted: Jan 19 2017 at 9:01am
Not sure of the truth here, but overheard a conversation yesterday that indicated the Manchester Inn and Sinder Ford buildings have been sold.  Supposedly another out-of-town buyer.
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swohio75 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote swohio75 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 19 2017 at 9:09am
Here are the listings on LoopNet to keep an eye on

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/20117597/101-N-Main-St-Middletown-OH/

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/20117626/1027-Manchester-Ave-Middletown-OH/ 

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What A City View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote What A City Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 19 2017 at 11:37am
Ok, assuming this information is correct and assuming the new owner paid more than a dollar for the Manchester, how does this work if we follow the path that got us to where we are now.......

City tries to sell Manchester years ago for 350 thou

City can't find a buyer and literally gives the building to Grau for a dollar.

Grau seals the roof leaks and does some minor work before giving up on the project and work becomes dormant with the Grau game plan for improvement abandoned.

Grau, the current owner of record sells the building to this new out-of-town owner.

Does Grau pocket the difference between the dollar and what the new owners paid for it or does the city have some money coming to it because Grau broke the contract for not upgrading the building with regard to getting the building for the dollar?

Is this an accurate statement?

If Grau pockets the difference, then, once again, the city taxpayer's money was lost to a private developer after the building was purchased with public money but profited by a private transaction.

Clarification?

I still can't believe that any developer would be interested in the Manchester. They would have to spend millions to rehab it for any useful purpose, yet, would take decades (even with a constant flow of patrons filling the rooms/proms/recognition programs and banquets every weekend), to recoup those millions and show any profit from the rehab costs, particularly in downtown Middletown where foot traffic and potential customers are few and far between. The last time there was a noticeable amount of customer traffic in the downtown was in the 60's and started to disappear in the 70's with the advent of the enclosed mall failure. I have no idea why the downtown merchants think there will ever be enough customer traffic downtown to sustain a business for any length of time, given the history that the area has been sparsely populated the last four decades.   
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spiderjohn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 19 2017 at 12:23pm
OK--I assume that we should be happy to see the properties change hands for hopeful timely improvements, however we might lump this on the list with MFA, Weatherwax, the Rose Building, former Senior Center, Liberty Spirits complex, 5th/3rd projects, and ask if the taxpaying citizens have received proper compensation for their purchase expenditures..

All with current Council and your involvement, Mr.A----
Should we feel happy, burned(again) or some combination?

Did "we" approve rental of the as of yet in-developed 5th/3rd space?
If so, for how much and how long?
And why?
Councilmembers feel free to chime in...

And what are future plans for the self-insured city program??
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Vivian Moon View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 19 2017 at 12:51pm
What A City: Does Grau pocket the difference between the dollar and what the new owners paid for it or does the city have some money coming to it because Grau broke the contract for not upgrading the building with regard to getting the building for the dollar? 

It is my understand that NO conditions for completion or time limits were in the purchase contract for the Manchester or the Sonshine building. So Grau would owe City Hall nothing.

City Hall did all the research on this property for the Ohio Historic Tax Credits.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote What A City Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 19 2017 at 1:35pm
Vivian:

"It is my understand that NO conditions for completion or time limits were in the purchase contract for the Manchester or the Sonshine building. So Grau would owe City Hall nothing."

Ok, then to add insult to injury, not only did Grau get the building for one dollar, but he was not held accountable for any upgrades and could sell the dollar building gift from the city for any amount he could get from this purchaser and pocket the profit?

If true, what a deal for Grau!!! He gets the gold mine and the city/residents get the shaft. The city seems to enjoy operating in this manner as they have done this many times before in giving away taxpayer funded/city owned downtown property to private developers with no stipulations.


The taxpayer financed, city owned properties are a proverbial goldmine for a quick buck for the private investor. They win, the taxpayer loses and the city remains the give-away property agent for their little buddies by shafting the residents through tax collections. And, in this case, the city also used taxpayer money to obtain the tax credits to help Grau. Man, what a gig for the friends of the city even as they unload the properties, rub the city's nose in it and make a profit using the people's money.
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Middletown29 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Middletown29 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 19 2017 at 1:53pm
Called someone familiar with Grau contract.
He did have two separate deadlines both which are past. He has been in default for months. Contract gives city right to reclaim property in event of default but city chose not to declare him in default and take property back.
Seems like a real cluster.
Adkins and Council asleep at the wheel.
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swohio75 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote swohio75 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 19 2017 at 2:30pm
Interesting that Grau is listed on the Sorg Opera RG website as a Board Member

http://sorgoperahouse.org/board.html
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Douglas Adkins View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Douglas Adkins Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 20 2017 at 8:56am
Spider - I probably should be able to deduce it, but I can't figure out what MFA stands for?

Happy or burned? I'll leave that up to each of you. A lot of this is old stuff, but we can rehash it again.

Between the bond payments for the 1996 improvements and operations, Weatherwax was costing taxpayers $400,000 per year in losses after operations. We approached Metroparks at the time we were listing the property and they were tied up with Voice of America park at the time and didn't have the cash and staff to handle two large projects at once. So we went with Bowling who paid us enough to pay off the bonds and quit losing taxpayer dollars operating the course. Three years later, Bowling sells if to the parks and makes a profit. Keep in mind if we had operated it during those three years, I would have spent an additional $1.2 million of your tax dollars with nothing to show for it. I will always feel bad that Weatherwax failed, but from an operations standpoint, losing $400k a year for a course that wasn't within our city limits made no sense to me. I stand by that decision but understand the anger in losing the course.

Rose Furniture will be rebuilt as part of the Goetz Tower project with retail first floor and upper level apartments. Took a long time but it will get done.

We have had a lot of interest in the old Senior Center and I believe we are better served putting that property out to bid than taking it ourselves. There will be an RFP issued sometime this quarter taking bids on that property with a minimum bid of $35,000 to apply.

I have no money in the Liberty Spirits project other than an abatement of future increases in property taxes for the improvements only made to the building.

The old cabinet shop we've talked about extensively. We gave it away for a dollar and believe there will be an operating business in their by April.

We will be renting the first floor of the Goetz Tower as part of our incentives to build the project. The lease will be at market rate for downtown for five years, with a sublease provision that will allow us to pull city offices out if there is a private company that can use the space. We will be actively looking for that company as we move forward but this guarantees that the project starts now.

The Manchester is a big old beast. There are simply no good answers there. Tear it down? About a million dollars of taxpayer dollars. Take it back? Do we really want that beast back on our books again? Let him sell it? May end up with a developer unable to make the project work.

Bottom line is that you have a historic hotel that lost money for 20 years and you have to make the argument that if you invest $10-12 million in the hotel, you will make that money back and turn a profit this time. That's a hard argument to make.

On the health care, the bottom line is that I will have to balance that equation over time. I've committed to council and I'll commit here that solving our health care insurance costs will come out of employee costs and not at the expense of capital projects. We will continue to pave and work on infrastructure. We'll find other ways to recoup that cost in premiums, plan benefits and hiring practices that won't cost the taxpayer additional dollars and won't impact capital improvements.
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spiderjohn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 20 2017 at 9:15am
thanx 4 the answers, Mr.A, though pretty much the same answers that have gone nowhere as time marches on...
yer time responding is appreciated and a positive--disappointed that no Council members contribute--I assume only at election time...

been having breakfast with one of your pals/supporters--a lifelong local friend
interesting conversation

not pushing retail here any more--we have already lost that battle
the former downtown area is what it is---somewhat better than what it was(now an occasional destination)--credit to those business owners trying to make something happen on their own dime---still very costly to taxpayers
would we have been better off if admin had stayed out of the property biz??
maybe--maybe not--still no good return for $$ invested outside of rewarding admin cronies

hiring or laying off?
u can be confusing on that

Rose/Goetz---yadda yadda coming soon.........

the Nobama era starts today---hopefully it works....
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Douglas Adkins View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Douglas Adkins Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 20 2017 at 9:23am
Neither hiring nor laying off at this point. I've put a hiring freeze on new positions until at least June. There will be a few exceptions on turnover positions for critical operations, like 911 dispatchers, etc.

We have a few other plans in place to start reversing the trend and rebuilding the health care fund.

Keep watching and keep commenting....

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Analytical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 20 2017 at 2:04pm
Mr. A. -- have no money in the Liberty Spirits project other than an abatement of future increases in property taxes for the improvements only made to the building.

Question:  is it not true that you utilized NSP funds to buy the two properties in the 1300 block of Central Avenue?   Is it not true that you used additional HUD funds to demolish said properties?

Note:  Vivian Moon has previously obtained city documents on HUD expenditures.   Please explain?
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Douglas Adkins View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Douglas Adkins Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 20 2017 at 4:17pm
Liberty Spirits isn't either of those two buildings. You're thinking about the cabinet shop, which we've talked about previously, and the church and bar that were torn down.

NSP money was used to demolish those buildings in accordance with program guidelines. HUD audited and approved the expenditure years ago.

We didn't spend any money purchasing, selling, or renovating the Liberty Spirits buildings.
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Vivian Moon View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 20 2017 at 5:26pm
Posted 2-14-2016 on MUSA

OOOPS…Them boys down at City Hall sure are a sneaky bunch of little boogers.
When you read the report the only address used is 1316 Vail…however…when you look at the drawings this business will go all the way over toCentral Ave. 
Sooo not only will Mr. Robinette be getting 1316 Vail…he will be getting 1329 and 1341 Central Ave properties also.
I remember City Hall purchased the mission property for $125,000 on Central Ave and then demolished the building. They also demolished Barbs Pub. 
Anyway you want to add up these numbers Mr. Robinette is getting over $200,000 worth of property for $1…Talk about a sweet deal.


S T A F F  R E P O R T

For Business Meeting:

DATE February 1, 2016

FROM: Doug Adkins, City Manager Transfer of City Owned Building for Redevelopment

PURPOSE To transfer 1316 Vail to Liberty Spirits, LLC to be redeveloped into a retail distillery related business including, barrel aging storage, finished product storage, retail sales, gift shop sales or other sales activity authorized by the Developers distilling license upon the Property. The final actual use will ultimately be dependent on changes currently pending in state law. The business could include just a tasting counter & retail sales, or it could include by-the-glass sales of liquor on premises.

BACKGROUND AND FINDINGS As part of demolition activities during the recession, the City demolished two buildings along Central Avenue, which in turn opened up the old Cabinet shop facing Vail. Liberty Spirits wishes to use the Vail building for retail sales of distilled liquor products including an open patio area in the green space created during the demolitions. This new business would be within the new Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, allowing patrons another place to enjoy downtown entertainment. The building has been owned by the city for several years and there are no other foreseen uses in the near future.

ALTERNATIVES Keep ownership of the building until another use is presented. FINANCIAL IMPACTS Little. The city is not maintaining the building. Transfer to a new owner for redevelopment offers us a chance to not own the building and to offer additional development and employment opportunities downtown. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends transfer of the property to Liberty Spirits, LLC consistent with the attached development agreement.

EMERGENCY/NON EMERGENCY This is requested as a first reading, second reading Emergency Passage at the March 1, 2016, City Council meeting.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Analytical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 20 2017 at 5:34pm
Thank you, Miss Vivian.  And, by the way, what was the city's cost in acquiring the property at 1316 Vail as well?  The truth will set the captives free!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Analytical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 20 2017 at 7:26pm
A review of Butler County land records today indicates that the properties acquired and demolished by the city at 1325 and 1341 Central Avenue are in fact now owned by LIBERTY SPIRITS LLC.  Someone needs to inform Mr. Adkins of this.  And, Miss Vivian, isn't it true that the city paid somewhere around $90,000 to acquire the former woodworking shop at 1316 Vail?  Consequently, nearly $300,000 of city funds were spent prior to selling these parcels for $1.00?

Given the above, I'd say that Mr. Adkins is just a little off of the mark in his earlier post.  What is it Doug?
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Vivian Moon View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 20 2017 at 7:33pm
The Liberty Sprits LLC was a very confusing deal for the general public because it involved both the property that Mr. Robinett already owned at 1357 Central Ave located on the east side of the Studio Theater and the properties transfered from the city that are located on the west side of the Studio and the 1 property located on Vail...all listed under Liberty Sprits LLC.

PARID: Q6532004000030

 

 

LIBERTY SPIRITS LLC

1357 CENTRAL AVE

 

Transfers (Date represents time of transfer)


Date

Type

Sale Amount

Trans #

Seller

Buyer

08-JUL-15

LAND & BUILDING

$2,203.00

6377

LIDO ENTERPRISES INC

LIBERTY SPIRITS LLC

09-MAR-15

 

 

1911

GRASSROOTS OHIO

LIDO ENTERPRISES INC

14-NOV-13

 

 

11836

RICH RANDALL S TR ETAL

GRASSROOTS OHIO

04-MAR-10

 

 

1566

RICH RANDALL S

RICH RANDALL S TR ETAL

 

 

 

 

PARID: Q6532004000030

 

 

LIBERTY SPIRITS LLC

1357 CENTRAL AVE

 

 


Taxyr

Land Value

Building Value

Total Appraised Value

Land (35%)

Building (35%)

35% Total Assessed

CAUV

2016

$9,400

$25,600

$35,000

$3,290

$8,960

$12,250

$0

2015

$9,400

$25,600

$35,000

$3,290

$8,960

$12,250

$0

2014

$9,400

$25,600

$35,000

$3,290

$8,960

$12,250

$0

2013

$25,660

$62,660

$88,320

$8,980

$21,930

$30,910

$0

2012

$25,660

$62,660

$88,320

$8,980

$21,930

$30,910

$0

2011

$25,660

$62,660

$88,320

$8,980

$21,930

$30,910

$0

2010

$25,660

$68,620

$94,280

$8,980

$24,020

$33,000

$0

2009

$25,660

$68,620

$94,280

$8,980

$24,020

$33,000

$0

2008

$25,660

$68,620

$94,280

$8,980

$24,020

$33,000

$0

2007

$15,800

$73,500

$89,300

$5,530

$25,730

$31,260

$0

2006

$15,800

$73,490

$89,290

$5,530

$25,720

$31,250

$0

 

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Middletown29 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Middletown29 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 21 2017 at 7:35am
Vivian
I am really confused now.
What does Liberty Spirits have to do with Manchester and Grau?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 21 2017 at 8:56am
Middletown29
In the above statement Adkins stated that City Hall did not have any money invested in the Liberty Sprits deal.
The records clearly show that City Hall has a nice little bundel of taxpayers dollars invested in this property.

Oh to add to the Manchester Inn money pit story...Did you know that City Hall paid $10,000 in real estate fees for the selling of the Manchester-Sonchester properties?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote What A City Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 23 2017 at 6:25am
Ok, once again, in the Journal, there is yet another story about some "strategic planning" for the downtown area........must be planning edition # 20 or so, I lost count.

Mr. Adkins, for crying out loud......what is this fascination from the Journal about repeated stories concerning the downtown area and why the total focus on this particular area? Since the concentration, no, actually, the utter obsession by the city, to force fit any development down there despite the weak draw in interest from the majority of the residents in Middletown, we have seen little going on. Millions have been spent and it sure doesn't show it. Some don't necessarily share your joy in the accomplishments down there. Some can't use nor are interested in what you have offered to date.

Why is it that when we read the Journal, we can count on some degree of coverage concerning your precious downtown? It is getting a tad bit redundant to read about an area most could care less about.

Where is the Journal focus on the other areas of town? Why saturate the news by constantly updating the downtown scene? Take the skip out of the record and let's move on to other city issues.

Will you and the Journal do us a big favor and back off telling us every little move made. It is not impressive. We know that the downtown growth has been at a snail's pace with just as many failures as successes. Contrary to popular downtown supporter belief, the downtown is not the Jewel of the Nile and hasn't been since the 70's.

Please suggest to the Journal that they stop this practice. They listen to you. They sure don't listen to the people.
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