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MIDDLETOWN

With land purchase, city to add downtown parking
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 0 0 0 20By Michael D. Pitman

Staff Writer 

MIDDLETOWN — 
By agreeing to purchase another piece of downtown, the city has set the stage for additional downtown parking along North Main Street.

But one city council member disagrees with the purchase of property to accommodate that project.

“I continue to urge my colleagues to exercise restraint, caution and in fact almost altogether stop getting involved with the purchasing and the dealing with property,” said Councilman Josh Laubach. “I feel we continue to leverage out the city in different ways and creating future liabilities.”

City Council approved 5-1 the $20,000 purchase of 42 N. Main St., which operated as a car wash this past summer and is owned by Elizabeth Ligon. The plan is to turn that lot with a small, dilapidated building, into parking lot. And if a deal can be consummated with Wausau Paper, which owns an adjacent vacant lot, it can be turned into a sizable parking lot which can accommodate a park and ride location

WELL, AT LEAST ONE COUNCIL MEMBER HAS BOTH OARS IN THE WATER ON THIS PARTICULAR SUBJECT. THE REST JUST DON'T GET IT DO THEY?  CITY COUNCIL....LAND OF THE LOST.

DANNY:

"IT CAN BE TURNED INTO A SIZABLE LOT WHICH CAN ACCOMODATE A PARK AND RIDE LOCATION".....TO WHERE? WHO WOULD USE IT IF THEY ARE ALREADY WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE TO MOST LOCATIONS?   

Vice Mayor Dan Picard disagreed with Laubach in his position concerning the purchase of the Ligon property.

“We have the opportunity to get rid of a blighted piece of property in exchange for a parking area that would be desperately needed in the downtown area in the near future to accommodate Cincinnati State,” he said. “I realize by doing this we are obligated to maintain certain items downtown, this being parking spaces, but I think that’s a very small price to pay in return for taking this blighted property and turning it into something which is productive

BLESS HIS HEART, DANNY P IS STILL IN HIS OWN LITTLE WORLD.

DANNY SAYS- 

“We have the opportunity to get rid of a blighted piece of property in exchange for a parking area that would be desperately needed in the downtown area in the near future to accommodate Cincinnati State

YESSIR, CS CAMPUS IS A BEEHIVE OF ACTIVITY, SO MUCH SO THAT IT HAS FLOODED THE DOWNTOWN WITH SO MANY CARS THAT IT MAKES THE LA FREEWAY AT QUITTIN' TIME LOOK LIKE A COUNTRY ROAD ON A SUNDAY MORNING. ADMITTING REALITY WILL GO A LONG WAY IN HELPING YOU ELIMINATE ILLUSIONS OF EMBELLISHMENT DANNY. 

DANNY FURTHER STATES....

 “I realize by doing this we are obligated to maintain certain items downtown, this being parking spaces, but I think that’s a very small price to pay in return for taking this blighted property and turning it into something which is productive

HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WILL BE TURNED INTO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE? DIDN'T HAPPEN WITH OTHER CITY PURCHASES. HAD TO GIVE AWAY SOME OF THE BUILDING PURCHASES IN THE PAST. STILL HAVEN'T FOUND SOMEONE TO BUY OR TAKE POSSESSION OF THE OLD OLGLESBY-BARNITZ BANK, NOR THE MANCHESTER. GAVE AWAY THE OLD SENIORS CENTER AND THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, DIDN'T YOU? GAVE AWAY THE OLD MASONIC TEMPLE. HOW MUCH PROFIT HAS THE CITY MADE ON ALL COMBINED PURCHASES TO DATE? DIDDLY SQUAT, RIGHT? AND HOW MUCH TAXPAYER MONEY WAS USED TO PURCHASE THOSE SAME "GIVE AWAY" BUILDINGS TO DATE? KINDA IN THE HOLE ON INVESTMENTS DANNY. THE ONLY MONEY PAID BACK WAS THE OLD CG&E BUILDING. 

THE PARK AND RIDE IS ALREADY IN PLACE. IT'S CALLED THE BUS TERMINAL IN FRONT OF THE OLD JOURNAL BUILDING AND ACROSS THE STREET FROM BEAU VERRE. IT IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO CS TO WALK IN LESS THAN 3 MINUTES. 