LAWTON – The Lawton Economic Development Authority is considering transferring LEDA-owned property to the city of Lawton.
The authority, which is the economic development arm of City Hall, recently directed city staff to research the process of turning the property over to the city.
“My recommendation is to go ahead and transfer that property back over to the city,” said LEDA Chairman Fred Fitch.
Records show that LEDA bought back-to-back lots at 910 SW B Ave. and 909 SW C Ave. for about $90,000 in 2008, Deputy City Manager Richard Rogalski said Friday. The lot at 910 SW B Ave. had a two-story house on it, but the lot at 909 SW C Ave. was vacant.
After LEDA purchased the lots, the authority spent about $10,000 to demolish the house at 910 SW B Ave, for a total investment of about $100,000. LEDA had planned to transfer those lots to the city shortly after the purchase, but that transfer never took place.
Now, city officials are looking at rebuilding the north section of the City Hall parking lot and constructing an outbuilding with a drive-thru for people to pay their water bills. While preparing for the project, officials realized that LEDA owned the lots at 910 SW B Ave. and 909 SW C Ave.
“Obviously, the intent was that these properties would be purchased for the expansion of City Hall’s parking lot or whatever else the city needed to do on that property,” Rogalski said. “So, how do you want to handle transferring the property back?”
The solution involves a landfill bill that the Lawton Urban Renewal Authority – the arm of City Hall that addresses redevelopment – incurred several years ago while acquiring and demolishing property for the Second Street redevelopment project. LURA paid acquisition and demolition costs for the project and was reimbursed by LEDA.
LURA’s funds for the redevelopment project started running low toward the end of the project, and the authority was unable to pay its landfill bill of about $115,000, Rogalski said. Consequently, LURA did not ask LEDA for reimbursement of that cost.
“That landfill bill is on LURA’s books,” Rogalski said. “But in reality, it’s a LEDA obligation.”
Rogalski said since the landfill bill and the acquisition and demolition costs for the lots on Avenues B and C are about the same, LEDA is weighing two options: Giving the property to the city or selling the property and giving the money to LURA to settle the landfill bill.