St. Bernard CIC delays mowing bids, updates demolition RFP and enters executive session on property sale

The St. Bernard Community Improvement Corporation on Jan. 28 heard updates on tenant relocation and a demolition request for proposals, agreed to pause its 2025 mowing bids while pursuing a holding agreement with the county land bank, and voted to enter an executive session to discuss the sale of property.

The meeting opened with a brief status report that the CIC is working with a relocation specialist to find a new home for the remaining tenant in the shopping center, and then moved to an update on demolition bidding. "The RFP for demolition bids went out," CIC board member Tim Wordman said, adding the solicitation was advertised and that several firms requested walkthroughs. Wordman said a walkthrough is scheduled for "next Monday," and that bids are slated to be opened on Feb. 11. He said familiar contractors have requested bid packets and that the CIC has provided them.

Taylor Voigt, identified as a CIC board member, said she had contacted the county land bank to clarify its process and reported the land bank will accept properties into a holding agreement if the CIC (or CDC) is the acquiring entity. "So long as the CDC or CIC was the one that initiated the acquisition and acquired the property, that is something that they're open to," Voigt said. She described the land bank's standard donation-and-holding agreement as boilerplate and said the land bank holds weekly meetings to discuss pitches.

That led the board to pause its planned mowing procurement. "We will strike the CIC mowing bids for 2025 for right this moment, and then we could delay it a month to determine whether or not this will work," the presiding officer said. Board members discussed whether the holding agreement would apply to all CIC properties and whether properties could be removed from the agreement if the CIC needed to act on a parcel; Voigt said properties can be pulled back out of the holding agreement if necessary. When asked whether tax savings would apply to prior years, Voigt said the land bank arrangement "would start with the next tax bill." The board agreed to delay the mowing RFP while staff pursues the holding agreement.

Before moving into closed session, the board asked if there were any other agenda items and noted its next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 25. Board member Amy Ismaili moved that the board go into executive session to discuss the sale of property; Joe Brickler seconded. The board took a roll-call vote and approved the motion to enter executive session; no nays were recorded in the transcript. The meeting reconvened only to adjourn immediately following the executive session.

The actions taken and next steps recorded at the meeting were: staff will continue relocation work for the shopping-center tenant; staff will continue to solicit demolition bids with a walkthrough and an advertised bid-opening date; staff will pursue a land-bank holding agreement and delay mowing procurement for one month while that option is evaluated; and the board entered executive session to discuss a property sale.