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Swisher Economic Alliance proposes leasing downtown rail yard for parking; council approves attorney revisions, asks engineer for cost estimate
Summary
Representatives of the Swisher Economic Alliance told the council they had negotiated a $200-per-month lease with CRANDIC for the old lumber yard downtown to create roughly 40–50 parking spaces. Council accepted the city attorney's revisions to the draft lease and asked the engineer to return with cost and safety estimates at the November meeting.
Representatives of the Swisher Economic Alliance urged the Swisher City Council on Oct. 14 to lease the old lumber yard from CRANDIC for downtown parking, saying the site could yield about 40–50 spaces and relieve chronic parking pressure on Wednesday nights and other events.
The alliance’s spokesperson Sonia said the group had negotiated a proposed lease rate of $200 per month and had asked CRANDIC to consider the arrangement as a community grant or low-cost lease. Sonia said CRANDIC previously quoted higher monthly ranges but had agreed to $200 as a low‑end offer to cover expenses and taxes. She said the alliance originally envisioned a gravel surface and urged the council to weigh maintenance needs and safety improvements before committing to major upfront investment.
City engineers and council members pressed for more detail on costs. The engineer said grading, base work, drainage and lighting would be necessary to make the lot safe and usable; council members repeatedly raised concerns about snow removal, lighting at night, site grading and a light pole that could block circulation. The engineer said staff would evaluate grading and cost estimates and return with a recommendation at the November meeting.
Insurance coverage in the draft lease was a point of negotiation. Staff said the original draft required $5 million in liability coverage; the city’s insurance agent recommended reducing the requirement to $3 million because the intended use was parking only. Council accepted the city attorney’s proposed lease revisions (which included the adjusted insurance language) and voted to forward the revised draft to CRANDIC. The council did not finalize improvements or a lease execution tonight; it asked the engineer to provide cost estimates for converting the lot to parking and scheduled further consideration for November.
Council members and downtown business owners also discussed the risk of investing heavily in improvements under a five‑year lease term; several urged the city to negotiate options for extension or longer terms if it plans to invest substantially. The alliance and staff agreed to pursue lease edits and to return with cost estimates and a revised timeline.
The council’s acceptance of the attorney’s edits was made by motion and approved on voice vote. The engineer will bring cost and safety estimates to the next regular meeting.
