subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, Jul 11 2009 

Published: December 03, 2008 09:06 am    print this story   comment on this story  

Berea considers buying Parker Seal building

Andy McDonald
Special to the Register

BEREA Berea City Council members reviewed a contract proposal Tuesday night that would give the city ownership of the old Parker Seal building. The 70,000-square-foot facility on nine acres of land is located near the intersection of Oak and Lewis streets.

The city has been in negotiation with the Parker Hannifin company for the past four years, and has negotiated a purchasing price of $150,000, according to City Administrator Randy Stone.

Initial plans for the facility include as a satellite police station, a small business incubator and a small sports facility, Stone said.

“That would be an area that with a little work we could operate some winter programs — basketball and volleyball,” Stone said. Equipment from the now-defunct Boys and Girls Club of Madison County, such as pool and foosball tables are now city property and also could be used at the facility.

One facet of the purchase agreement raised concern among council members — which party would assume responsibility if the site is contaminated by industrial activities.

Under the terms of the contract, Parker Hannifin, a company that manufactures motion control products, would be responsible for any known environmental problems at the site. Under the proposed terms, Parker Hannifin would be responsible for any clean-up or remediation of environmental problems even after the city of Berea has taken possession of the property.

According to a 200-page report, oil is the only known pollutant at the site, according to Stone, who noted the oil had been regularly pumped out up until approximately two years ago. Stone added that the recent environmental study conducted by consultants Third Rock has initially concluded that the air quality is at acceptable levels.

“They found no problems,” Stone said. “Based on the environmental study we’ve had, we feel comfortable having this facility used by the city.”

But the sticking point for some council members was that Parker Hannifin would not be responsible for currently “unknown” environmental issues that may arise.

“I’m uncomfortable saying we’ll take responsibility in the future for something that is unknown,” said Glenn Jennings. “Would I personally sign this agreement tonight if I was buying it? I would not. Would I buy it for the city tonight? I would not.”

Chester Powell added that if the city builds on the property, it may disturb the oil leachate in the ground, which could create a new environmental problem for which the city would be responsible. Powell wondered whether that could potentially cause problems for the city.

Denise Hagan expressed concern about why the property is on sale at a bargain price, suggesting that it may in fact be because the cost of cleaning it up would be prohibitive.

Mayor Steve Connelly suggested that the city take two steps before the council considers the purchase further. First, the city will notify Parker Hannifin that it wants the purchase agreement changed so that the company will assume all liability and responsibility for environmental issues — both present and future — that were directly caused by manufacturing activities at Parker Seal.

Secondly, the city will invite environmental consulting firms to brief city council members on the findings they reached in their report.

In other business, the city council:

• Unanimously adopted an ordinance that would keep the tax rate steady at 10 cents per $100 of property value. Under the current rate, the city will actually lose $9,525 in revenue compared with last year because property assessments have gone down. The city is projected to collect $628,353 in revenue from the property tax.

• Adopted an ordinance annexing 60 acres on O’Possum Kingdom Road with an A-1 agricultural zone designation. The property is owned by H. Gabbard and is located across from the Tremont Subdivision. When the item came up for discussion, Hagan suggested the property will eventually be zoned residential, which would further strain the city’s infrastructure and resources. “If the city doesn’t have enough water for the people we already have in the city limits, how are we going to have enough for these people?” Hagan asked. “I’m not against growth, but I think it has to be measured. We really have to think of some of these issues for the long term.” Other council members disagreed, saying the council only could consider the issue immediately before it — whether the property should be annexed as agricultural. When the vote was cast, Virgil Burnside, Howard Baker, Vi Farmer, Glenn Jennings, Truman Fields and Greg Lakes voted to annex the property into the city. Chester Powell and Denise Hagan voted no.

• Berea Municipal Utilities Director Donald Blackburn urged city residents to resume their efforts to consume water. Blackburn said water use has increased in October and November, reversing a nine-month trend when residents were cutting back on water use.

• Voted unanimously to join Local Governments for Sustainability, a group that advises municipalities on how to reduce greenhouse gases and energy use.

print this story   comment on this story  

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.



Zillow
monster
autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

Now Hiring FT Housekeeper
FT Housekeeper. Must be detailed oriented & work in fast pace.Apply in person 121 Bogie Mill Rd...>MORE

Now Hiring Bartender & Servers Boathouse
The Boathouse
is seeking experienced Bartender & Servers
. Call Dwayne @
859-200-4910.
...>MORE

FUN SUMMER WORK
FUN
SUMMER WORK
Applicants must enjoy loud Music and be willing to work with others!
No Experience nece
...>MORE

NOW HIRING
Liquor World, 239 EKU Bypass, is Accepting
application for stockers,
cashiers,. M-F 10-6pm
...>MORE

NOW HIRING Inhome Nanny/Ninera
In-Home Nanny/Ninera Richmond M-F Beg. Aug. Resume, ref,req.
859-623-5280. auroraontheroad@hotmail.com
...>MORE

NOW HIRING SALES REPS
Avalon Metals & Components Berea, Ky. Seeking Sales Reps. Must have Metal Exp. Salary
859-986-1417 hmasry@avalonsb.
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Autos

2000 Ford Ranger XLT. Ext cab, 4WD,
2000 Ford Ranger XLT. Ext cab, 4WD, V6, red. 87K mi. $7900.
Call 859-223-5496.
...>MORE

2008 Dodge Magnum
2008 Dodge Magnum
Extra nice. Low mileage.
$10,900.
859-661-3202.
...>MORE

2003 Z71 Chevrolet for sale
2003 Z71 Chevrolet Silverado LS. White, 4WD,
5.3 liter V8, 4-door ext cab. ~92K miles. $11,000.
Call 859-624-
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Rentals

WoodsTrail , 2 bd, also Irvine St 2bd,2ba
Woods Trail, 2 bd w/WD, $575.+$575 dep. 1022 E. Irvine St 2 bd, 1 ba, $330 $225 Dep. NP. 582-8413....>MORE

NEW, 2bdrm, 1.5 ba. Deposit Required.
NEW, 2bdrm, 1.5 ba. Deposit Required.1 year lease. $595mo.Exit 83
Autumn Grv.859-893-2790
...>MORE

170 Smith Ballard St House For Rent
House for rent: 170 Smith Ballard Str. (Richmmond). 2 blocks from EKU. Rent downstairs, (1 bd, 1 ba), or whole house, 3...>MORE

See all ads

Deal of the Day

Everything from A-Z!!!
Need to sell your bedroom suite, washer and dryer, or even selling an animal? Call Mayme or Melissa at 859-624-6681 to p...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index