Columbus is looking at purchasing property on Jackson Street that would be used to store equipment for the city Parks and Recreation Department.
Officials are seeking to acquire 3 acres of land at 1360 Jackson St. for $300,000 from Machinery Moving Inc., which approached the city this summer about purchasing the land.
The parks department has storage space at 11th and Jackson streets that it uses, but the proposed acquisition would help with its operations, said Mark Jones, city parks and recreation director.
"We feel like it’s a great tie-in to a well growing parks system," Jones said of the property at 1360 Jackson St.
The $300,000 purchase price would be paid over six years, with approval being sought tonight from the Columbus City Council for the first $50,000 payment, which would come out of the parks department’s cash reserve fund.
The parks board approved the spending last week at its October meeting, with final approval needed from the council, which will consider it during today’s 6 p.m. meeting.
The remaining $250,000 payments would be made from city capital funds allocated to the department, according to the city.
However, Jones said officials are still waiting for the results of two appraisals on the property and an environmental study to determine whether it can move forward with the purchase.
Jones said he expects the results of an environmental study, to be paid by the city, to come back in one to two weeks If the appraisals come back higher than $300,000, the city intends to negotiate the selling price with the owner, Jones said.
Jones said the parks department stores some of its equipment at the Columbus Municipal Airport. Items stored at the airport include mowing equipment, holiday decorations and athletic field equipment, said Jamie Brinegar, city finance director.
However, Jones said the location at the airport isn’t the best fit for the parks department’s needs.
"We’ll gain some efficiency and productivity in having stuff right in our back door," he said. "The idea would be to purchase that property by the end of the year."
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What: Columbus City Council meeting
When: 6 p.m. Monday
Where: Columbus City Hall, 123 Washington St.
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