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<br />Councilmember Look stated that with the amount of talk about a Thurston Boulevard design <br />interchange, he thinks the Bialon property will need to be taken down. He asked if the money <br />dedicated for the Auto Ranch could be reallocated to another business because of all the "foot <br />dragging" that has gone on. <br /> <br />Ms. Ruehle stated that the "foot dragging" cannot be put completely on the shoulders of Mr. <br />Wilson. She stated that the City could look at shifting the funds and postponing this acquisition <br />to later, such as July, and do something else in the meantime or decide to let the whole thing go. <br />She stated that there have been a lot of up front costs the City has paid twice for appraisals and <br />environmental reviews, which would not be reimbursable if it didn't close. <br /> <br />City Attorney Goodrich noted that Clint Wilson has signed the Purchase Agreement, the City has <br />not. <br /> <br />Ms. Ruehle stated that she is hoping to hear from MnDOT this week to see what has to be done <br />to move forward. <br /> <br />Mayor Ramsey asked why the City would want to purchase property with no buildings. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that there would be no relocations costs and you wouldn't pay <br />for.the value ofthe building, so the City would get it at the lowest possible price. <br /> <br />Ms. Ruehle stated that when the official map was introduced, the goal was to acquire as much <br />property as possible so when the project moves forward there won't be any right of way costs. <br />She stated that the City has saved a great deal of money in acquiring this ahead of time in the <br />corridor. <br /> <br />City Attorney Goodrich stated that he may have misspoken because Ms. Ruehle doesn't think <br />Mr. Wilson has signed the purchase agreement. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated that cash is king right now, so if there are other projects on the <br />table, such as Bialon, perhaps the City should shift the dollars to something else. <br /> <br />Public Works Director Olson stated that Mr. Wilson's property is also land that would be <br />necessary for the Ramsey Station. <br /> <br />Ms. Ruehle stated that in fairness to Mr. Wilson, this should have been closed by the end of last <br />year but the environmental things have really made this drag out. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig stated that the first six priorities on the spreadsheet make the most sense to <br />him: <br /> <br />Councilmember Look asked about the County value versus the appraised value for Jim Deal's <br />vacant land. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / March 3, 2009 <br />Page 6 of 17 <br />