Property sale approved

A local business owner was approved to purchase a couple of adjacent properties.

Portland Board of Works approved the lone bid of $11,000 from LeeAnn Miller of Reclaiming Design to purchase the properties at 208 and 210 N. Meridian St.

Miller was the lone bidder for the properties, which are now vacant after the former Hunt’s Building was demolished last year. (It was declared unsafe.) She owns the building to the south of the properties and is in the process of renovating it as the home of her interior design business Reclaiming Design.

She said she was interested in the property for the potential to show outdoor products but also as a space for the community to enjoy. She said she hopes to have some real or artificial grass for greenery, seating, tables and more whimsical elements such as a trellis, lighting and flowers. (Bid specifications for the purchase included providing a plan outlining planned use for the property, a timeline for improvements and a cost estimate.)

“I envision that being a nice community space for my business but also the downtown as well,” Miller said.

She bid $5,500 for each of the parcels for the total of $11,000.

Board of works members Jerry Leonhard and Mayor Jeff Westlake, absent Steve McIntosh, approved the sale of the property to Miller.

The next step in the process will be for city attorney Wes Schemenaur to draw up the purchase agreement.

The board also denied a request from 3D Construction of Muncie for the Blaine Pike street and multi-purpose trail project. The company said it lost time during a water main break on the street.

Clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips said at the meeting that water department superintendent Doug Jackson suggested the city deny the request. Leonhard agreed, saying 3D workers did not stop while the water main break was fixed but rather moved to work on a different area of the project.

In other business, the board:

•Approved the following: the purchase of a new utility truck for the city’s water department from Kelley Chevrolet of Fort Wayne for $40,135 and the installation of a bed by W.A. Jones of Columbia City for $12,655; spending $25,318.76 to install police equipment in the department’s new vehicles; commercial driver’s license reimbursement agreement for city employees Kyle Overla and Matt Arnold; a water bill adjustment of $718.08 for 825 S. Meridian St. because of a leak.