By Emily Younker
Globe Staff Writer
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. —
The City Council gave informal approval this week to the sale of the building currently being used as City Hall once the city moves into the new community center.
The council voted 7-0 Tuesday to move forward with the proposal, which had been the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Councilman Wayne Smith was absent for the vote.
The commission has recommended selling the building, at 800 E. Pennell St., to the Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council, which works with local governments in Jasper, Newton, McDonald and Barton counties.
City Administrator Steve Lawver said the organization, which provides emergency planning, grant preparation and waste management in those counties, has “shown interest in this building for quite a while.”
The council likely will consider a sale price, a formal ordinance and a contract for the sale at its next meeting. No date has been set for that meeting.
The city bought the building in 1999 for $40,000 from the Tri-State Osteopathic Hospital Association, Mayor Mike Moss said, and has used it for City Hall since then. A story in Monday’s edition incorrectly stated how the city acquired the building.
The council had previously met in a downtown building that it shared with the police and fire departments; that building was destroyed in the May 2003 tornado.
City officials, meanwhile, are preparing to move into the community center, 303 N. Main St.
Moss said the city likely will begin moving next week, though he wasn’t sure when the building would be fully ready for occupancy.
Ribbon-cutting
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Carl Junction Community Center, which will house City Hall, a senior center and a gymnasium, is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, June 4.
