CITY OF LENOX

A special meeting of the Lenox City Council was called to order by Mayor Douglas on May 2, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall with the following council members answering roll call: Bowman, Vogel, Custer, and Borland; Adams was absent. Staff present included City Administrator, Allison Kitzman, City Clerk, Dawne Bowman and City Attorney, James Varley. Other visitor was Ben French.

Bowman made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Custer, all aye, motion carried.

There was a discussion held on the repairs to City Hall. There were several tiered option plans discussed, such as tearing the entire building down and building a new building, tearing down the shop area and leaving the office space, relocating the shop area, and selling the building. However, we need to take into consideration the Sheriff's Department office and the Chamber office reside at City Hall also. There was discussion on keeping the office on Main Street for reasons such as convenience and maintaining communication with other Main Street businesses. Varley suggested having a Town Hall meeting so the public could have a voice in this and offer other ideas that maybe the council hadn't considered. There was concern of separation within the community over this, which is why the public's input is important to the council members. Vogel discussed the options for selling the building, such as sealed bids or an auction. Asbestos in the building is a concern, as well as the condition of the building. Varley discussed special considerations of selling the building, such as a time line and plan of action. Varley also noted that the low bid is not always the best option when selling property. Ben French discussed the importance of council involvement in the meeting and educating the public on what will potentially be discussed. The council then discussed the agenda for the meeting, such as the different options, some estimated prices, the current condition of the building and the repairs needing done. Custer made a motion to approve a Town Hall meeting at the Lenox Community Center on June 1, 2016 at 6:30 PM, seconded by Bowman, all aye, motion carried.

Custer moved to adjourn the meeting, Bowman seconded, all ayes, motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 6:25 P.M.