Officials were considering Roger’s Auto property
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
The City of Burlington has decided not to pursue the purchase of the current Roger’s Auto property, 233 Main St.
The Common Council met in a closed session Sept. 12 and opted not to buy the property for possible future city use, according to City Administrator Carina Walters.
The city had been in closed-session negotiations with the owner of the property and had extened an offer to purchase the site to accommodate future building needs, which could include a city hall, library or combination of municipal buildings.
Walters explained that the July flood and the $1.6 million municipal expense it created has forced members of the Common Council to rethink expenses.
“I think the council itself is trying to be very strategic in its planning,” she said, adding that the city’s elected leaders are reassessing initiatives in light of the flood.
The city has been considering possible downtown sites for future government buildings for the past few years.
Prior councils have identified City Hall, the public library and senior center as future needs. In the meantime, city officials have entertained a number of different scenarios, including a joint government facility that could have included offices for the city, Burlington Area School District and Racine County.
However, it appears the city is largely on its own at this point as the school district has placed its focus on school buildings and the county has made strides toward demolishing its Western Racine County Service Center adjacent to the Roger’s Auto site.
Thanks largely to a $200,000 grant from the county, the city is in the process of relocating the Burlington Senior Center from the county building to the former Knights of Columbus Hall at 587 E. State St. County officials have said the outdated county service center will be demolished this fall.
What all this means for the future of city facilities remains to be seen, according to Walters, who described planning as still in its infancy.
However, she would not rule out cooperation with the county or school district should circumstances change.
“I think we’re trying to be cognizant of that,” she said. “If we can work with an outside government – absolutely.”
-
-
-
-
-