NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council agreed to sell the parcel of land for a spec building in the city's industrial park on Tuesday.
"Brad Pryor is here with Salt City Investments," said city attorney Paul Brown. "It's to sell lot 5 of the business park to that group for $100,000. It's approximately $5,000 an acre. It's 20 usable acres, which is how the figure is arrived at. They intend to build a shell, subject to finish by whatever business that they attract."
Part of the contract for that parcel has an option for Siemens Gamesa regarding the usage of the rail line near it and Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho and the city attorney have had differences of opinion on whether the city needs to spend additional money to get this deal done.
"It would be required that they establish a business on that tract, if they were going to use the option and it would have to include employment," Brown said. "Well, we know that's not going to happen. I'll leave it at that. We know that's not going to happen. We have the ability to terminate the option, it's just a question of what monies, if any, we pay."
Under the original option terms, the city would have to pay $200,000 to get the land back, with the Chamber paying $100,000, if access to the rail line no longer became available. Corporate levels at Siemens Gamesa have been slow to respond to Brown, but he is committed to getting the city out from under this, given the changes in circumstances for both the city and for Siemens since the original contract was enacted.
"Regardless of the circumstances, whatever their response is, my goal is to resolve it permanently, be done with it, while there's still someone here who knows what that agreement is about," Brown said. "I will."
The land sale was approved unanimously.