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Council OKs MOU letting buyer fix north wall in exchange for perpetual mural easement
Summary
The Wagoner City Council approved a memorandum of understanding allowing a prospective buyer to rehabilitate a deteriorating north wall and assume long-term maintenance, while the city purchases a perpetual easement for murals for $35,000.
The Wagoner City Council voted Aug. 3 to approve a memorandum of understanding that transfers responsibility for stabilizing and repairing a deteriorating north wall to a prospective buyer while the city secures a perpetual easement to display murals.
Councilmember North moved to approve the MOU; Higginbotham seconded. Under the agreement, the buyer will obtain ownership of the lot, rehabilitate the wall to make it safe, assume maintenance responsibility, and grant the city a perpetual easement allowing murals on the north face. A city staff member summarized the financial term: "we will pay him $35,000 for a perpetual right to use the North Wall as an easement, as a mural." The council completed a roll call on the motion; Thomas, Higginbotham, Butler, Robertson and North voted yes and Wilson voted no.
The prospective buyer told the council he has not yet been able to acquire insurance on the building and therefore cannot finalize the purchase until the wall is repaired. He also said his bid includes applying a stucco-type finish so the surface will be mural-ready and that a private donor is willing to sponsor the mural. "I couldn't acquire insurance on the building," he said, explaining the timing pressure behind the deal.
Council members and staff discussed valuation and protections: staff noted callback provisions that would allow the city to recover funds if the wall is destroyed within five years, and members compared earlier high repair estimates (previously reported as $150,000–$180,000) with more recent bids in the tens of thousands of dollars. Supporters argued the MOU clears a critical obstacle to starting a separate junction project that cannot proceed while the wall remains unstable; opponents voiced concern about setting a valuation precedent for future easements.
The motion carried and the council directed staff to finalize the contract language and proceed with the conveyance and easement steps described in the MOU.
