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03.14.14 // MYMERIDIANPRESS.COM
LOCAL NEWS details of the trade THE DAIRY BOARD IS TRADING: Lot along Watertower Lane at Storey Park n $3: value per square foot n 61,330 square feet n $184,000: total value THE CITY IS TRADING: Dirt parcel next to Meridian Speedway n $1.50: value per square foot n 89,332 square feet n $134,000: total value. As part of the trade agreement, the city will make a cash payment to the Dairy Board of $50,000 to make up the difference. n $8,000: total amount city paid for four appraisals needed for the land swap. n $1,000: estimated cost every six years for city to maintain an easement on its property that the Dairy Board will be able to use to access the dirt lot.
City, Dairy Board swap land at Speedway, Storey Park
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fter about three years of working through details of an agreement, the city of Meridian and the Dairy Board are ready to swap neighboring parcels of land at Storey Park and the Meridian Speedway. The deal, approved by the City Council this month, is a win-win for all involved, both parties said. by Holly Beech The Dairy Board, which owns the hbeech@mymeridianpress.com Speedway, will now own a piece of © 2014 MERIDIAN PRESS land next to the Speedway that’s been used as a pit area for racers. The city will own land in Storey Park that’s the future site of a new dog park. The Dairy Board is pleased with the outcome of the deal, Secretary/Treasurer Gerry Mattison said. But, he said, the long process of working out the agreement was frustrating at times because it racked up thousands of dollars in attorney fees. Mattison did not give an exact amount, but the latest attorney bill was $3,000, he told City Council during a Feb. 18 meeting. That’s an unfortunate expense, he said, because the Dairy Board
strives to use its funds to support youth. “It’s a burden, but nothing that’s going to hinder us or anything. We’ll still support the 4-H and FFA kids and do all we can to support them,” Mattison said later. Part of the reason why the deal took so long, the city and Dairy Board said, is because federal and state agencies had to sign off on it. The land that the city traded was purchased using money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The grant requires the city to use the land only for outdoor recreational purposes. The city later built a well on that property, violating the requirement. The agreement, however, says the city can buy a new piece of land of similar value to fulfill the requirement of having outdoor recreational space. “Trying to find a small piece of recreational land is not easy,” Meridian city attorney Bill Nary said. But the Dairy Board was able to buy land from the Speedway operator to trade with the city, he said, giving both entities the space they wanted and allowing the city to keep the well property.
Meridian without a dog park for next few months
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eridian residents are without a dog park for the time being. The former “Bark Park” was an acre parcel that police let residents use right next to the Police Department. But with construction underway for the department’s new public safety training center, the Bark Park has closed. That land, which sits between the police department and the fuby Holly Beech ture training center, is the site hbeech@mymeridianpress.com of a planned indoor shooting © 2014 MERIDIAN PRESS range. But dog lovers can expect a new dog park in the future. The city is working on final designs and approval of a 2-acre dog park at Storey Park, 205 E. Franklin Road. “This dog park project will be much more than just
grass and a fenced area for dogs,” Meridian Parks Superintendent Mike Barton said in an email. “It also includes parking, utilities like water and sewer for restroom facilities, sidewalks and pathways, shelters, landscaping, drinking fountains and other dog park amenities. The opening date has yet to be determined, but we do expect it to open to the public next year.” Barton hopes construction on the new park starts this summer. “It is a high priority to get this amenity available to our community, as we understand the need,” he said.
OFF-LEASH HOURS Missing the Bark Park? Check out off-leash hours at Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park, 1900 N. Records Ave., Meridian. Off-leash hours are from dawn to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to dusk through March 30. For a map of the designated off-leash areas, find this article at mymeridianpress.com.
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