Thursday, March 28, 2024

Owner requests action

Council pursues 4.7-acre property for city well site

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BREWSTER – During the public comment period at the city councils regular monthly last Wednesday, Nov. 14, members heard testimony from Brewster businessman Said Velazquez, owner of a 4.7-acre piece of property at 1108 Sunset that the city wants to acquire for one if its water well sites.

Velazquez attended the meeting to inquire as to the progress the city is making with respect to pursuing the acquisition after a year of discussions and water testing.

Following his appearance at the council, Velazquez told the Quad City Herald that city representatives advised him in November 2017 that the city wanted to locate a well on his property that also has four seasonal rental cabins on the site. Velazquez said his initial thought was that he could divide out the portion of his acreage the city wanted and retain ownership of the rest.

Before negotiations could proceed further, Velazquez was told that a test hole needed to be drilled and water samples withdrawn and tested to determine the water quality. At a subsequent meeting a few months later following a second test hole and more water samples Velazquez was advised that the city wanted to acquire all 4.7 acres of the site.

Velazquez said he does not want to sell the entire parcel because he hopes to not only upgrade the seasonal cabins to allow year-round rentals, but also use part of the land as home sites for himself and family members. He declined an earlier offer from another interested party who wanted to purchase his property.

“There just aren’t any five-acre parcels available in Brewster to build on,” Velazquez said.

Velazquez and his mother own the second-hand store on the site of the former Lindsey’s Drive-Inn and Velazquez operates an auto detail shop behind the building.

“I am paying for three city business licenses,” Velazquez said.

City officials have not yet determined what valuation they will assign to the 4.7 acres, but council told Velazquez that by the next regular meeting in December the city should be ready to disclose that and other details.

In other business Brewster Chamber of Commerce President Anna Marie Dalbey asked the council about a portion of the Hotel-Motel Tax that is earmarked for the Chamber. The Chamber has already been approved for $2,000 pending documentation that the organization spent that much on out-of-town advertising.

Council members held public hearings on the annual EMS Levy and the Property Tax Levy, and following no comment, approved both measures.
City clerk-treasurer explained a new mandate by the state regarding city business licenses.

“Every city that wanted to continue to have business licenses was mandated to adopt a model business license ordinance,” Ruiz said.

City attorney Chuck Zimmerman drafted the required business license model and made corrections to the city’s ordinance. Council approved the measure under Ordinance 909.

In his report, Public Works Director Lee Webster said the sewer line inspections via all the manhole sites is nearing completion and the complete GIF mapping and data should be available soon.

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