City pays $75,000 for AMPI site years ago
Hillsboro City Council members voted Tuesday to complete purchase of the former AMPI property.
The vote was unanimous.
The city paid $75,000 for the property and adjacent gas and sewer lines.
The city has not made public any definite plans for the new acquisition.
Council members also entered an executive session to discuss personnel. It was part of the annual review of Administrator Steve Garrett.
Council members agreed to seek bids for a replacement police car. It would replace a unit that is six years old.
Chief Dan Kinning said the department has found that it is safest and most efficient for each officer to have his own car.
"There have been times when three or four of us have been called out," he said. "We would have no way to respond."
Council member Barney McCarty, a former police chief, said sharing cars wears them out more quickly, because the units end up being in service around the clock.
Council members delayed action on making a parking area available for a proposed reception area.
Stan Thiessen presented the proposal. He plans to build a dining area for 200 with additional outside seating in a courtyard.
The goal is to provide reservation dining, entertainment, and a site for reunions and other group events, he said.
The parking area is directly south of the property. Thiessen will provide landscaping as needed.
Council members liked the proposal but didn't want to make a decision unless it clearly met all city zoning requirements.
"To me it sounds like a great idea but I don't want to bypass someone," said Mayor Delores Dalke.
Administrator Steve Garrett will review the plan to ensure it meets zoning requirements. The proposal may go to the city planning board if there are questions.
In other reports:
The lighting project at the runway is progressing.
Street sealing work has been completed.
The city received a five percent reduction in worker compensation costs, a savings of about $900, due to new safety policies and training.
