TUMs Deal Hinges on Fast $60,000
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Pinckneyville City Council voted to give Hush Bullet Inc. until the close of business on Sept. 25 to produce $60,000 in 'earnest money' before agreeing to extend the purchase agreement on the former TUMS building for another 30 days.
The city and the ammunition manufacturer had a purchase agreement for the property at a cost of $600,000. Hush Bullet, Inc. was to pay $300,000 down. The city agreed to finance the remaining $300,000 over five years at five percent.
Mayor Joe Holder said that he spoke with representatives of the company Monday and they remained anxious to buy, but were unable to produce any funds at this time.
"Their exclusivity is over," Holder said. "We have to move on and pursue other leads."
He added that there were three other companies interested in the building and he would begin pursuing those leads immediately.
The Mayor said that the $60,000 in earnest money would once again put Hush Bullet at the head of the line. He doubted than any of the other three potential purchasers would be able to put up the same amount before Sept. 25.
In other business, the council:
authorized City Attorney Roger Seibert to send a letter giving the owner of the property at 103 East Laurel 30 days to remove debris and tear down a partially collapsed building. The city has received authorization from the courts to clean up the property at the owner's expense. Mayor Holder said he had price quotes from two companies to complete the clean-up. The prices were $20,000 and $23,466. One was a salvage company and the other was not, he said. The lower price took into account the value of scrap metal at the site. Holder will pursue written proposals before the next meeting. Seibert said that the city may have to put a lien on the property and then foreclose on it to recover the clean-up costs. The value of the property would determine how much of the funds are recovered. Though it is expensive, Holder deemed the Laurel St. property the "poster child for what needs to be done." He said he would like to review the ordinances and increase the fines for trash and weeds to better reflect the city's costs in dealing with those issues.
voted to spend up to $3,000 to pay grant writers to put together a grant proposal for a $750,000 flex funds grant to assist in the creation of two museums in Pinckneyville. Two different groups, assisted by the Foundation for the Future of Pinckneyville, are working to create a rural heritage and a basketball museum. The $3,000 would be recovered if the city receives the grant. The funds will come from the hotel/motel tax fund. Treasurer Rick Reese said that there is currently $24,659 in that fund.
heard from Reese that the city has about $300,000 more than it did at this time last year. The extra funds are due largely to the more than $400,000 the city received from auctioning off equipment in the TUMS building. The state also has paid a portion of overdue utility bills. The city received $197,979 on Aug. 31 and $42,767 on Sept. 3. There is an outstanding balance of $43,879.
approved a change order for Ameren Inc. on the Cooper B-Line sanitary sewer extension increasing the contract by $500. Commissioner Dave Stone said the funds are for additional rock for the project and will be covered by the grant.
authorized a change order on the Brown Street project to remove $16,200 for street patching from the contract. The city can do the work at less than half the cost, Commissioner Sam Fulk said. The contractor would be responsible for back-filling the ditch. The city would then lay the cold patch.
set the trick-or-treat date as Friday, Oct. 30 from 5 to 8 p.m. for children ages 13 years and under at houses with porch lights burning.