The Merrill Common Council will consider purchasing the former Merrill Pavers property at 2101 Logan Ave. at its Dec. 13 meeting.
The property is located in TID No. 9 and is eligible for 30% Idle Site grant funding. The city has a written sale agreement to purchase the property for $30,000 from its current owners. Another $20,000 would be budgeted for demolition of the existing structure on the site.
The two-acre property is located directly east of the former Anson-Gilkey site, which is owned by the city. Potential acquisition and demolition of this property was included in an Idle Sites grant that the city was awarded by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. That award helped fund demolition work on the former Page Milk and Anson-Gilkey properties.
The grant would fund $15,000 of the Merrill Pavers acquisition and demolition costs, with the remaining $35,000 charged to TID No. 9.
Acquiring the property would add to the city’s buildable acreage, along with the Anson-Gilkey land, and eliminate a blighted building, City Administrator Dave Johnson noted. It would also allow for additional eastward extension of the River Bend Trail, Johnson added.
The city’s Redevelopment Authority approved the purchase at its meeting on Monday, Dec. 6, and is recommending approval by the council.