County board moves forward to purchase transit building

Following a Nov. 19 informational meeting, Kimball County Commissioners met in open session to determine if Kimball County should purchase and renovate a building for the local transit system during a public hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 20.

The board received comments for and against renovating an existing building, located at 223 S. Chestnut Street, in Kimball, commonly known as the Weather Wise building.

Additionally, this public hearing was to determine if the County should use the financial assistance being sought from the Federal Transit Administration in the amount of $63,000 and $15,800 in local funds for the project.

Two Kimball County residents attended the hearing, one for the use of the federal funds and one against the project as a whole.

The resident against the project expressed concerns that the building is currently a taxable property in Kimball County but, if purchased by the County, the property would not accumulate any tax income for the County. Too, this resident was concerned about Kimball County owning too much property.

The resident that was for the project said that the average Kimball resident is elderly and this is a opportunity to service the community members who currently use the transit system and future users.

Christy Warner, County Transit Administrator, presented a packet she had made available to the public that showed the project overview as well as additional key points to the possible transit housing.

According to the overview, repurposing this building will provide needed storage for five Kimball County vehicles including three federally funded vehicles, as well as provide an area for transit dispatch and provide facilities to add community services in the future.

The renovation plan for the building includes the process to gut the back of the building, clean, replace the roof and any needed electrical and heat problems. This back area would be used to store maintenance and ready the vehicles. The loading dock would be turned into an interior ramp and new garage doors would be installed to accommodate the vehicles.

The front area, formerly used for sales, would be turned into office space and be ADA compliant, allowing a straight walk in for those needing services from the building.

Information provided in the packet includes the opinion that the building is unlikely to be purchased by a private individual and be renovated. The transit has received a federal grant to pay for 80 percent of the renovations. The County’s 20 percent share would be recouped in the form of rent.

The packet also lists a worst case scenario example.

The “Worst Case Example”:

County purchased building for $40,000

County’s 20 percent of a $200,000 renovation $40,000

Transit pays monthly rent to the County $1,000/month

State and Federal reimbursement at 90 percent $900/month

The $80,000 the County has put forward, divided by $900/month reimbursement is equal to full reimbursement in 88 months.

Please be advised this is a worst case scenario example.

Warner believes this makes sense because it will bring our (Kimball County Residents) federal tax dollars back to Kimball and renovate an existing building instead of buying new. This option is also less expensive than the alternative of building an ambulance storage facility, estimated at $390,000, to allow the transit vehicles into the current ambulance garages.

A benefit of completing the transit housing project, according to Warner, is that this project will bring a building back to life, sparing it from continuous deterioration, and revitalizing the downtown area. Additionally, the building will protect the vehicles, free up much needed parking space at both the annex and the courthouse and provide a working space for the current transit employees.

The added space could potentially house other needed services and, finally, unlike other projects, this building project can produce revenue for the County with reimbursement from rent on the monies spent on the building.

Following the discussion, the Board accepted the federal grant monies for a project to house the transit before going into closed session to discuss the potential purchase of real estate located at 233 S. Chestnut Street.

Upon the conclusion of the closed session the Board announced its decision to begin the purchase process. Commissioner Engstrom asked attorney Matt Truman to draw up an offer to submit to the current property owners.

More information on this potential purchase will come soon.