About 30 Graham residents and supporters of restoring the Sesquicentennial Park in Graham turned out Tuesday night for a meeting to assess the possibility of buying the lot where the park formerly stood that Graham’s city council has decided to put up for auction.
The Sesquicentennial Park Citizens Committee heard reports from the triumvirate of its leadership – Jane Albright, Jim Albright, and Richard Wright.
Jane Albright reported that about 50 contributions and commitments had been received, with the largest at $2,000; she did not give an overall total of those. Albright noted that checks would not be cashed unless and until the citizens committee wins the bid for buying the park. Additionally, the group is working to establish a tax-exempt non-profit designation.
However, an even larger contribution was revealed at the end of the meeting when Patsy Bailey Allard came forward with a check for $5,000. Bailey Allard is the daughter of Pat Bailey, the late co-chairman of the original 1999 Sesquicentennial Committee that organized festivities that year to celebrate the county’s 150th anniversary, culminating in the establishment of the park.
Alamance County tax records list the latest assessed value for the property at $35,588.
Allard elaborated on the contribution to The Alamance News after the meeting, “Our mother, Pat Bailey, left us some farmland when she passed away. We recently had some timbering done, and I thought the very best use of a portion of that timber money was to gift it to the Citizens group for the park. Pat’s farm, passed to children, who passed timber money to help save the Park Pat helped create.”
Sam Powell, the other co-chairman from 1999, had already pledged to provide a match to whatever amount is raised by individual donors who contribute to the committee on behalf of the park, and he was also present to encourage those interested in reviving the park.
Powell also noted that in addition to money for purchasing the park, the committee needs to have additional funds available for installation and maintenance.
Residents discussed an offer from the New Leaf Society, a local non-profit organization that has invested money in landscape projects across the county, that the organization may also be available to assist, if the park is purchased by the citizens committee.
It was emphasized that the New Leaf Society does not seek publicity about its availability or potential contributions on behalf of the project, but did suggest that it might assist with architectural landscape design and actual planting, but not ongoing maintenance.
Jeff Benes, another Graham resident and a local scoutmaster, suggested that his local Boy Scout troop might also be available to help.
Powell said that he hopes it won’t be necessary to excavate the current site, but that if a concrete floor were not a part of the future design, it might be possible to avoid such an expense, which he estimated could be considerable.
“The real expense,” he suggested, “is to dig out [the soil] and then repack it. . . Since it hasn’t been dug out, that should be reflected in the appraisal.”
Powell observed that the soil on the lot doesn’t appear to have settled since the city took up the brick pavers, planters, gazebo, and benches that had previously been a part of the Sesquicentennial Park.
Settling of the park’s brick paver floor is what highlighted to the city the problems with the park and the potential safety hazard it posed.
Unknown to the group that night, however, is that the city has included a requirement in its final list of specifications and restrictions on the property that the “Buyer shall be financially responsible for proper repair and remediation of the existing basement located on the property, prior to construction of any approved project.”
The city has begun to recruit appraisers (the city council had previously expressed a desire for three qualified appraisers), but the time frame for such recruitment and getting back those estimates appears likely to push back the time frame to the council’s October 13 meeting; the next council meeting is September 8.
According to assistant city manager Aaron Holland, ”We currently are still recruiting appraisers with the proper commercial designations that are willing and able to perform commercial appraisals. We have [one] appraiser that has agreed to perform this thus far (Glenn Patterson) and [are]communicating with another that may be interested, but hasn’t confirmed.”
Here’s the full list of suggested deed restrictions, as compiled by the city:
- No assignment clause – Buyer is not allowed to transfer the deed.
- Buyer(s) shall obtain an approved site plan, including a rendering for construction within one year of purchase.
- Buyer shall be financially responsible for proper repair and remediation of the existing basement located on the property, prior to construction of any approved project.
- All present and future construction costs, care, maintenance, or repair costs for the approved project constructed or placed on this property shall be privately funded, excluding City-funded grant opportunities.
- Any Park and/or green space constructed, planted, or placed on this property shall bear the name of “Sesquicentennial Park” or “Main Street Park.”
- Any building constructed must bear a historical resemblance in style and appearance to the building that stood on site for 80 years.
- No parking lots or apartment buildings shall be allowed.
- No building above three stories.
- 25% earnest money within 24 hours of awarding the bid.
- A pre-approval letter of loan from the financial lending institution for the cost of the construction will be included with the bid to pre-qualify the purchaser before the contract is awarded.
- Bids for the property must be equal to or greater than the appraised value of the property. Property will be appraised as a commercial lot.
- An architectural rendering of the proposed structure to be built will be submitted within 30 days of offer acceptance.
