Swisher Economic Alliance proposes $200 monthly lease for downtown lot; council asks engineer to study costs

The Swisher City Council heard a proposal Oct. 14 from the Swisher Economic Alliance to lease the old lumberyard downtown and convert it into parking, an Alliance representative said, with the clinic that owns the site willing to lease it for $200 a month.

Council members and nearby business owners focused on the costs and feasibility of converting the dirt lot into functional parking. “They’re willing to lease the old lumberyard for $200 a month,” the Alliance representative said. Council members warned that grading, base preparation and defined stalls will be required to prevent vehicles from getting stuck or blocking each other.

City engineering staff said any conversion will likely require work beyond loose gravel; options discussed included gravel with a defined base, recycled asphalt or chip seal. The city engineer told council staff could pull comparable unit costs from recent chip-seal and park projects and produce a spreadsheet of likely grading and surfacing costs.

Council and the Alliance also discussed insurance and lease terms. The draft lease in the packet included a $5,000,000 liability requirement; the city’s insurance agent recommended a $3,000,000 limit and the city attorney proposed revisions that would reduce some of the insurance burdens. The council voted to accept the attorney’s revisions and instructed staff to return the redlined lease to the property owner, Crandick, for negotiation.

The council did not commit city funds to upgrades. Instead, members directed HR Green and city engineering staff to survey the site and provide cost, grading and lighting estimates for a future meeting. The council agreed to revisit the lease after receiving the engineer’s recommendations and Crandick’s response to the attorney’s changes.

Next steps: the engineer will prepare cost estimates and the council will consider revised lease language and a report back at a future meeting.