New building OK'd for industrial park
Staff reporter
The City of Marion recently had a 10,000-square-foot building constructed to attract new business and it's worked — sort of.
Marion City Council approved agreements with Cardie Oil Company of Tampa and Hett Construction Monday to construct a 200-foot-by-265-foot tire retail and repair shop at the city's industrial park.
The agreements were a lease-purchase agreement between the city and Cardie Oil Company and a building contract between the city and Hett Construction. The project will cost $229,200 for the building.
The city will erect the building and Cardie Oil Company will lease the building and eventually purchase it during a five-year time period.
The council also approved a bid from Tampa State Bank for 4.35 percent interest on the building recently completed at the industrial park.
Other bids were received from Marion National Bank for 4.49 percent and Central National Bank for 5.41 percent for the $229,200 building.
Councilman Bill Holdeman asked why those bids were not sealed. City officials responded that they were not requested through a sealed bid process because it would have taken longer to process.
During the public forum portion of the meeting, Darvin Markley asked the council if Jim Cloutier, owner of Cardie Oil Company, received the lot for the tire repair shop for free.
City officials responded that the retail business plan revealed at least the equivalency of four full-time employees which qualified him for a free lot in the industrial park.
City economic development director Jami Williams said businesses that go in the industrial park must provide at least three full-time jobs.
Markley said he was aware of a retail business in the city's business park that wanted to be located in the city's industrial park but was denied. That business owner had to purchase lots in the business park but now the city was giving away a lot to a retail business just because he was located in the industrial park.
Markley said the council should treat everyone the same.
"I'm all in favor of development in the industrial park and think it's great that Cardie is going to build there," Markley said.
Later Markley made this comment.
"I've been here (in business) for 20 years and haven't had anything handed to me," he said.
Mayor Mary Olson responded, "You didn't have this council then."
Through questions asked by Markley and city officials providing answers, the following information was revealed. Cardie Oil Company's lease payment will be $1,677 per month.
The city will insure the building while it is being constructed. After construction, the business owner will be responsible.
Representatives of Hett Construction will be asked to provide progress reports to the council on a regular basis.
Another concern Markley had was the wear and tear on city streets if larger trucks were to drive through residential areas to get to the tire repair shop in the industrial park.
At the conclusion of the discussion, Olson said the city may need to consider a different approach with smaller types of businesses in the industrial park.
The council also approved the city's spec building at the industrial park be listed for sale or lease on a statewide web site for such listings. The asking price will be $180,000, which would be negotiable.
The building cost the city $128,780 to construct. The cement floor was $31,900 and roughing in the plumbing cost $3,811. The lot was valued at $12,000, which will be given to a business that employs three or more people, which brings the value to a total of $176,491, which does not include the city's expense for financing the structure.
