City buys two more buildings

After Tuesday night's council meeting, the city of Greenville now owns the entire property along North Second Street between College Avenue and Oak Street.

A city center square is to be created there.

The most recent purchases are buildings at 215 and 219 North Second Street, purchased by Jane and Breck Nelson for $256,000.

Location 215 is the former Fusion Dance building. With plans to demolish the building for the plaza, the council approved a request to have an asbestos inspection carried out.

The building at 219 North Second was originally a gas station and has since been used for many business purposes. Greenville City Manager Jo Hollenkamp told WGEL there are currently no plans to demolish the building.

According to Hollenkamp, ​​the purchase price for the buildings will be paid with money from the property development fund.

Last month, council approved work for two businesses in the proposed plaza area. When the FP Joy and Bond County Office Annex building was demolished, the exterior walls of the Collective Closer and Mario's Pizza were exposed.

The city is committed to improvements. A change order was approved for Schafer Excavating to install Dryvit on the exposed wall of Collective Closet. The work will cost $18,242.

The city manager said adding Dryvit would fit the Mario building and make the space more attractive. The original plan was to paint the Collective Closet wall.

Mario's Pizza is also working. The council approved a proposal from Shafer Excavating to build a foundation and wall up to the roof line to stabilize the exposed wall. The cost is $187,300. Hollenkamp said the city will cover those costs with money from the general fund, or TIF.