SALEM City purchases land for room to expand

A garage for cruisers is being suggested for one of the properties the city bought.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- City administration officials want to ensure there's plenty of elbow room for possible expansion of the city's government center.
Over the last few years, the city has pursued that goal by buying land next to city hall and the fire station, which occupy separate buildings west of South Broadway Avenue.
City hall was hemmed in by private property, Service Director Joe Julian said. "There was no place for us to go. We need to have elbow room."
With that in mind, in 1997 the city spent nearly $100,000 to buy the former Kelly Gas Station that stands near city hall.
In July, the city bought a house on South Ellsworth Avenue next to the fire station for $22,860. In March, the city spent about $3,890 to raze the house and level the lot.
Money for both land purchases came primarily from the city's capital improvements fund.
The next step is converting the new property into an unpaved parking lot, Julian said.
Right now, employees at city hall and the fire station are squeezed into a narrow municipal lot.
The new lot should help ease congestion, Julian said.
Having the land available also leaves the city room should it ever decide to enlarge the fire station, Julian said. He quickly noted, however, that there are no plans to do so.
The fire station was built between 1996-97 and cost nearly $426,000.
Sometime this year, the city expects to raze the vacant gas station on the Kelly property.
Before that can be done the city needs approval from the Ohio Bureau of Underground Storage Tanks.
The gasoline storage tanks used by the station have been removed, but the state must also confirm that no contaminated soil was left, Julian said. He added that he expects the bureau's approval in the next few weeks.
There are no plans for the gas station lot. But Julian said he would like the city to consider building a garage there for police cars. Right now, the vehicles are out in the weather, Julian said.