By Gary Lloyd
The Trussville City Council on Tuesday approved a memorandum of understanding between the city and Ellison Investments, LLC, for the purchase of approximately 1,839 square feet of property located at 102 North Chalkville Road.
That property will eventually be part of a dedicated right turn lane from North Chalkville Road to Main Street. The property is the old Husky Barber Shop, sandwiched between the Braden’s Furniture property.
The 12-point memorandum of understanding details the purchase price as $250,000 and that after the city’s purchase — which the city council must approve — Ellison Investments shall lease the property from the city on a month-to-month basis for $800 to $1,000 each month.
The city of Trussville will be responsible for the maintenance of the air conditioning and heating system at the property and Ellison shall be responsible for maintaining the property during the lease, including the roof. If ad valorem taxes on the property are due after the city’s purchase, Ellison will pay those. Ellison will maintain liability insurance for the property and name the city as one of the insured and the lease will terminate on the first day of the month following Ellison’s vacating of the property. Trussville has no obligation to pay Ellison’s costs of moving and relocation whenever the lease terminates.
Mayor Gene Melton said he hopes the city can acquire other adjoining properties along North Chalkville Road and the dentist office at the corner of North Chalkville Road and Linden Street by the end of the year. Melton said it will likely cost about $2.2 million to acquire all the property necessary to construct a dedicated right turn lane that would stretch from Main Street to Vann Circle on North Chalkville Road.
Melton said the city has to work to acquire the properties because the federal government declared the area historic and would not help with the project.
He “just guessed” that actual construction would cost between $1 million and $1.5 million.
Melton expects all engineering to be complete in the next eight or nine months and construction to “hopefully” begin in the next 24 months. Melton said the right turn lane could be in place by 2016.
When construction begins, Melton said the existing and affected businesses will be relocated and detour routes will be in place for motorists. Part of the project will include aligning Linden Street with the road to the Trussville City Board of Education Central Office.
In December 2011, the city council approved preliminary engineering to be done for the North Chalkville Road widening project. Former Trussville City Council President Wayne Taylor said at the time that the next step in that process was the acquire the Braden’s Furniture property and possibly put a traffic light at Linden Street’s intersection with North Chalkville Road.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.