Springdale looks to property for city building project

NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Clint Chastain and Tom Freking, both members of Springdale's Masonic Lodge, look Wednesday at the Bible in the center of the Lodge Room. Springdale needs to purchase three properties, including the lodge at 316 Spring St., to build its new Criminal Justice Center. "To them it's a brick and mortar building," said David Williamson, a past master. "To us, it's a lot of history. Hundreds of Springdale men have gone through this lodge."
NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Clint Chastain and Tom Freking, both members of Springdale's Masonic Lodge, look Wednesday at the Bible in the center of the Lodge Room. Springdale needs to purchase three properties, including the lodge at 316 Spring St., to build its new Criminal Justice Center. "To them it's a brick and mortar building," said David Williamson, a past master. "To us, it's a lot of history. Hundreds of Springdale men have gone through this lodge."

SPRINGDALE -- The city plans to buy three pieces of property near its administration building to complete a criminal justice complex under construction.

The City Council on Tuesday allowed city staff to begin the process of buying the land, said Wyman Morgan, director of finance and administration.

The pieces at 214, 316 and 418 Spring St. lie across the street from city hall. Two are homes, and the other is the Springdale Masonic Lodge. The city plans to turn the lots into parking and green space for the new city building, Morgan said.

The Spring Street property owners said Wednesday they know the city's offers for their land are coming.

They find waiting hard, as well as not knowing their future, said Liz Haggard, who lives at 214 Spring St. Her husband, Tony, worries the offers won't cover moving costs and the price of a new home.

But they also will miss their homes.

The Haggards, who purchased the home in 2003, have remodeled it to fit their needs -- with two master suites. They ran a business from the house, cared for Tony's mother and now care for Liz's.

"This is where we've lived with our mothers," Liz Haggard said. "It was their home with us."

The Masonic Lodge has been in its location since about 1960, said Clint Chastain, the current Worshipful Master of the fraternal and service organization. The group has about 100 active members, many of those second- or third-generation Masons.

"To them it's a brick and mortar building," said David Williamson, a past master. "To us, it's a lot of history. Hundreds of Springdale men have gone through this lodge."

To pay for the purchases, the city will use money from the sale of four other pieces of property farther south on Spring Street: 107, 128, 130 and 132, Morgan said. The city sold the four lots and buildings in September 2018 for $996,880 to Recasting, a company affiliated with the Walton family.

The city has independent real estate appraisals to determine the market value of the three pieces of property. The appraisals are $80,000 for 418 Spring St., $360,000 for 316 Spring St. and $230,000 for 214 Spring St. -- a total of $670,000 plus three appraisals at $2,500 each, Morgan said.

Records of the Washington County assessor show lower values: $57,150 for 418 Spring St. and $150,450 for 214 Spring St. The property at 316 Spring St. is tax-exempt so has no assessed value, according to the assessor's office. The Masonic Lodge, which owns the property, asked for the exemption as a charitable organization in 1991.

Morgan said the city will offer landowners the appraised values.

"We want to make sure we don't overpay when we're using taxpayer money," he said. "At the same time, we want to make sure the citizens are paid fair value for their homes, not any more or any less."

Morgan said he expects the property owners to seek their own appraisals.

"Then we will compare the two and see what the difference is," he said. "Is his reasonable? Then maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle."

The property owners said the city hasn't approached them with offers to buy.

If the city and the owners cannot come to an agreement on price, the city will begin eminent domain procedures, Morgan said. The city can condemn property under eminent domain laws if it is needed for a public purpose.

The property owners still will receive market value for their property, he said.

"The law says the city must pay market value highest and best use of the property," said Paul Smith, an attorney representing the members of the Masonic Lodge. He said lodge members might turn down offers, which would lead the city to eminent domain.

The city also will remove three city-owned buildings across the street from city hall on Spring Street.

The American Legion hall sits on Spring Street south of the three pieces of property and will stay on its site. The city owns the building, but leased it back to the Legion on a 100-year lease. The lease will expire in 2027, Morgan said.

The city in 2018 purchased three houses on East Emma Avenue to provide space for a passenger terminal for the Springdale Municipal Airport. The city's total cost was $362,000, Morgan said.

NW News on 09/16/2019

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