Of the approximate 100 people who turned out for the City Council meeting Monday evening, 21 people took the podium and all who spoke said they didn’t want the city to sell land in Harmon Park for a Coborn’s Superstore.
The city has been negotiating behind closed doors under Minnesota Open Meetings law for the sale of the property to Coborn’s for a 39,000 square foot Superstore, complete with a gas station and car wash.
But the purpose of putting the item on the agenda was to listen to public comments, said Pipestone Mayor Laurie Ness.
“No decision will be made tonight,” Ness told the crowd. “We’re here to listen. If something would go forward, an ordinance would have to be introduced and that would have to stand for two weeks before a vote.”
After its last executive session, the council directed Jeff Jones, city administrator, to make Coborn’s a counter offer.
During the Monday night meeting, Steve Gottwalt, Coborn’s director of communications, said Coborn’s had, “now met (the city’s) price for that land.”
Gottwalt also said Coborn’s would work with the city on its concerns, such as the preservation of the mature trees along the perimeter of the park.
“This is something we think benefits the community in the long run,” he said about the overall development.
Coborn’s president, Chris Coborn, was present at the meeting but did not speak.
Those who spoke said they were not against Coborn’s building the new store, they were against building the new store on land in Harmon Park.
Pipestone resident Pat Beyer questioned whether a city of Pipestone’s size could support the Superstore, car wash and gas station. Beyer pointed out that the city already had two grocery stores, five gas stations, three car washes and three pharmacies.
“It’s logical one of each of them would go down,” if the Superstore were built, Beyer’s said, effectively negating any new taxes Coborn’s would bring to the city.
One of Coborn’s representatives, Troy Hoekstra, vice president of development for Cornerstone Construction, told the council when he first introduced the site plan publicly that the approximate $5 million project would mean, “conservatively,” $150,000 annually in new taxes for the city.
Coborn’s Gottwalt said Monday evening the taxes the development would generate would amount to approximately $100,000.
The discrepancy between the two numbers, as well as some checking done by Luke Johnson of the taxes paid by Pamida — $30,000 annually, he said — caused him to wonder, “where these numbers are coming from.”
Johnson also questioned if Councilor Harry Hansen, by sitting in on closed session discussions, had broken the law, considering he owns three properties that are under contract with Quist Property Management, which is negotiating the sale of the land to Coborn’s for the development.
Joyce Kadlec, who organized a Friends of Harmon Park petition drive over the past week, turned in petitions with the signatures of 400 people. The petition signed by the petitioners said, “the undersigned petitioners hereby petition the Pipestone City Council to call a special election on the proposed sale of a portion of Harmon Park.”
Many people who spoke cited the value of green space.
“I feel that parks are the heart of the community and Harmon Park the face of the community,” said Dave Sommers.
Others conveyed their emotional ties to a park that was a part of their childhood.
“Granted, Harmon Park could use a little updating, but it’s a beautiful place,” said Daryl Stueven. “It’s kind of a piece of me that grew up with me.”
Others indicated that the original intent the Harmon family had in donating the land for park space was that it remain park land forever, and those intentions should be honored.
The original Harmon Field was sold to the Minnesota Department of Transportation; the city purchased the existing Harmon Park from Fred Chattell, on August 27, 1934, for $3,200. According to a copy of that deed, no restrictive covenants are attached that would prohibit the sale.
However, Sarah Priester said she contacted a relative of the Harmon Foundation and was told by that relative that they planned to contact their attorneys; Priester implied they had grounds for, and would fight against, the sale of the land.
Clapping broke out after Priester spoke and then continued for most of the remaining speakers. Others cited traffic and safety concerns; questioned how the development could proceed when there’s a moratorium on any new hookups within city limits until a new wastewater pond is built; and wondered about additional storm water runoff from the added impervious surface.
Three children also took the podium, saying they and their friends used Harmon Park; that the children at Brown Elementary want a park in that location rather than a place where people could buy things; and that it was a nice, green friendly place that should be preserved.
Prior to the commencement of the public comments, Ness thanked the crowd for their involvement and interest and explained that their job, as officials elected to represent the people, was to be fiscally responsible and to care for the citizens of the town.
Shortly after she took office at the beginning of this year, U.S. Marine/Bayliner closed its plant and Suzlon announced layoffs of 160 people, almost half its Pipestone workforce.
“So here we have an opportunity for replacing work for folks who have lost their job,” Ness said.
Coborn’s has indicated the new development would create 41 additional jobs.
“I love trees and green as much as everyone, but I need to be responsible to the people,” Ness said.
Throughout the meeting Pipestone Fire Chief Mark Otter, and Pipestone County Sheriff Dan Delaney, kept a strict watch on the occupancy limits within the council chambers. Only 49 people could be inside the chambers at one time; the remaining crowd, which Otter estimated at about 50 people, watched the proceedings and took their turn at the podium from out in the hallway.
Steve Moffitt, city coordinator for Local Cable Access, hooked up speakers and monitors in the hallway so the crowd could hear and see the proceedings inside the chamber. He said it was the first time during his 10-year tenure with the city that he’s had to rig a setup for an overflow crowd.
