Town sells playground lots to MIC

Moorcroft Interfaith Community (MIC) members Monte Reichenberg and Randy Blakeman attended last week’s meeting of the Moorcroft Council to answer any questions and listen to the restrictions under which the title to two lots within the Moorcroft Town Center (MTC) property (playground area) will be sold to their organization.

At the preceding workshop, the question of a purchase agreement was considered by all to be the best option with a restricted title.

With the motion to grant the restricted title on the floor, Town Attorney Pat Carpenter sought from the council the restrictions they want on the title to protect and retain control on usage of said lots.

Mayor Ben Glenn shared the need to “benchmark” five years from sale date, “If the project has not been started and moving forward… breaking ground, constructing the project, applying for a building permit [for] the structure and supplying the plans…” The property must also be used for the community in the future.

Carpenter recalled a concern earlier expressed by Councilman Dale Petersen regarding the possible dissolution of the MIC as a “trigger event” as well, initiating the return of title to the town.

However, with the hope of keeping the property moving forward for community use, Blakeman asked, “At that point, being able to have the option of transferring it to somebody else, how do we keep the community of Moorcroft in that loop where they are a player in that if we’ve gone through everything and we don’t need a food pantry here anymore, but there’s something else that is workable?”

Carpenter assured both entities that he will create the necessary language to ensure the town will retain control of that endeavor: “It’s really kind of what you suggested earlier, the contract’s going to say, here are all the rules unless we agree otherwise so we have that ability to still have that discussion at the end, if we need to.”

With the title restrictions set, the next step, according to the attorney, is an appraisal and publication, both of which will be charged to the buyer (MIC). “If there are any objections, you’ll have to address those and assuming there would be no objection, then we can move into a purchase agreement [which] would have all the terms we just talked about here.”

The total cost of the two lots is not anticipated to exceed $5000.