Mower County will conduct an environmental assessment worksheet on the so-called “Robbins block.”

Also, the county has until 5 p.m. Oct. 14 to decide whether or not to exercise a purchase option agreement for the Robbins Furniture and Design Gallery property.

That’s the deadline imposed by Donna Robbins, owner of the real estate coveted by the county. Her purchase price for the property: $427,000.

The dramatic developments in the on-going saga of the county’s quest to buy a square block of land across Second Avenue Northeast from the proposed Mower County Jail and Justice Center were announced Tuesday at a special meeting of the county commissioners.

Acting on the recommendation of Paul Reuvers, an attorney retained by the county for legal advice, the commissioners unanimously approved having an EAW done on the Robbins block.

A petition signed by 26 citizens was sent to the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, requesting the EAW. Mower County was deemed the responsible party for deciding whether or not to have an EAW worksheet written.

Reuvers told the commissioners Tuesday morning, “I believe it is prudent to take this additional step.”

An EAW will help the EQB decide if the more detailed Environmental Impact Statement is needed, according to Reuvers.

The building is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places; nor is it located in a designated historical preservation district.

The city of Austin gave Mower County $1.5-million on the eve of the county board’s 3-2 decision a year ago to locate the new jail and justice center in downtown Austin.

Mower County commissioners announced then they would use the money to acquire the Robbins block and use the property for a geothermal field, parking, staging area for jail/justice center building materials and possible building expansion.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Huffman settled quickly with the county for the acquisition of their Thoroughbred Carpet and George’s Pizza properties in the block.

Donna Robbins has been a hold-out since negotiations between the property owner and attorney Paul Sween began last April.

Tuesday’s twin announcements, concerning the Robbins block, were the first signs of any real progress made.

Environmental

remediation

According to Reuvers, the EAW will be prepared by he and county staff for a cost to him of between $2,500 and $5,000. The process should take no longer than 90 days, the attorney told the commissioners.

Before the commissioners voted unanimously to have an EAW written, David Hillier, 3rd District, said, “My opinion is that it is not necessarily needed.”

Hillier asked Reuvers if a negative declaration (i.e., that no further EIS is needed) is forthcoming, “Can we defend making that decision?”

Reuvers said, “It is very difficult to challenge the process.”

“It can be appealed to district court if the petitioners decide to do that,” Reuvers said, “but the standard of EQB review is very deferential.”

“I can’t imagine the courts second-guessing the (EQ) board,” the attorney said.

Eugene Novak, a citizen at Tuesday’s meeting, criticized the county board for delaying further action on the jail/justice center project and for spending more money.

Ray Tucker, 2nd District, made the motion to have the EAW conducted. Hillier seconded it.

All 5 commissioners voted “aye.”

Hillier’s second to Tucker’s motion didn’t come immediately. Richard P. Cummings, 1st District, called for a second three times before Hillier announced it.

“Twenty-six citizens signed the petition,” Hillier said. “It’s these 26 citizens, who are causing us to spend another $2,500 to $5,000 on the project.”

The Austin Main Street Project organization objected to the county’s pursuit of the Robbins block property for demolition. At the eleventh hour in the decision-making process, AMSP proposed turning the building into a retail stores, apartments, office complex and developing the property rather than removing it from the tax rolls.

The county commissioners have never wavered from their own plans to acquire the property and demolish the 3-story, 27,000 square foot building.

Craig Oscarson, county coordinator, revealed the owner of the Robbins Furniture Store and Design Gallery property, Donna J. Robbins Revocable Trust, is “at the end of negotiations.”

The owner has given the county until 5 p.m. Oct. 14 to decide whether they will exercise a purchase option agreement to acquire the property.

The purchase price: $427,000.

According to Oscarson, written reports about the estimated costs to remove plaster from inside the former hotel portion of the Robbins property are expected next week or before the Robbins’ deadline.

Oscarson said the seller is not requiring any earnest money: Just a decision.

Also, she will pay the property taxes on the building.

Novak and another citizen, Paul Helms, an employee of George’s Pizza Restaurant, both raised questions about whether or not the expected cost to acquire the property was within the $1.5-million budget.

“This is within the budget we allocated to move downtown,” said Tucker.

Oscarson said, “This is not something new” and the county coordinator recalled how the city gave the county the $1.5-million grant to acquire the Robbins block.

Oscarson also said it is not a done-deal.

“If at the end of 2 weeks we get some good figures (costs estimates for environmental remediation already estimated at $200,000) we’re still going to be within our budget,” he predicted.

Novak reiterated his complaint the commissioners were driving up the costs of the jail/justice center project.

Dave Tollefson, 5th District, made the motion to approve the purchase option agreement proposed by Robbins and Hillier seconded it.

Again, the commissions voted unanimously to approve the measure.

Sarah Douty, who said she was speaking as a private citizen and candidate for the county board, asked the commissioners, “What is the need for this property?”

In answering Douty’s question, board chairman Cummings let slip information the commissioners may be thinking of a new county office building on the Robbins block.

“We need it for parking, Health and Human Services, a staging area for building materials and a geothermal field,” Cummings said.

No commissioner has publicly stated the county could be planning to relocate the Health and Human Services departments from OakPark Mall to a new building downtown.

Helms inquired about the 320 off-street parking spaces the city promised the county if the jail and justice center were located downtown. Helms said the county should use the half-block vacant space it plans to create at the north (4th Avenue Northeast) side of the proposed new 128-bed jail and justice center.

The discussion ended when Hillier said, “These issues have all been thoroughly studied.”