Batavia looks at how to spend $672,000 from land sale
Asked what they want to do with a $672,000 windfall from a land sale, three things came to the minds of Batavia aldermen Tuesday night.
One, they say let's improve sidewalks to the Batavia Apartments complex at Kirk Road and Wilson Street; two, they suggest nice welcome signs at entrances to town, particularly on Kirk, and wayfinding signs that point visitors to amenities such as the downtown business district; and, three, they suggest studying options for improving the riverfront.
"We certainly don't want to use it for operations," city administrator Bill McGrath told the council committee, as he presented eight suggestions from city workers.
The city has sold the 6-acre site at the northeast corner of Kirk Road and Wilson Street to a firm building a Speedway gasoline station. The land was given to the city in 2010, as its previous owners deemed they couldn't develop it.
About $10,000 in city money would be needed for the sidewalks near the apartments, with the rest of the cost coming from a community block development grant.
The city had budgeted $40,000 this year for a riverfront study, with the Batavia Park District expected to also pay for part of it. Problems with erosion have developed, including one that could affect a major electrical substation.
The firm that designed the downtown streetscape has recommended making the riverfront more visible to visitors, and Mayor Jeff Schielke has repeatedly lamented the overgrowth of trees and other vegetation on the stretch through the downtown.
"I like the river idea - but it is only for the study, which means nothing is ever really going to get done," Alderman Lisa Clark said.
"This river is the greatest asset in this town," Alderman Dave Brown said. "If we don't get started, we'll never get started."
Alderman Marty Callahan suggested splitting the money three ways, two of which would be a way of sharing the money with residents and taxpayers.
He suggested putting some in the rate stabilization fund for the electrical utility, using some for projects such as the sidewalks and the signs, and perhaps paying for brush and leaf pickup for a year or two rather than charging residents and businesses.
"It is just spreading it out in a meaningful way, so that everybody is sharing in this and it (the money) is not lost on one thing or another," Callahan said.
McGrath said he will take the aldermen's opinions and compare them with the city's strategic plan and also get more definitive cost estimates for the proposals.