February 26, 2008 - The city of Chillicothe is hiring a company to appraise a portion of the current prison property which will be deeded to the city when the state vacates the current facility later this year. The property to be appraised consists of around 13 to 15 acres and is the vacant land located north and west of Chillicothe Correctional Center's administration building on the north side of Third Street. The city solicited bids from six appraisal companies and only one - Cannon, Blaylock & Wise, of Lake Ozark, Mo. - responded. The companies bid was $1,500.

The council voted 4-1 in regular session Monday night to accept the contract, with 2nd Ward Councilman Lonnie Sewell voting in opposition. During workshop discussions earlier on Monday, Sewell said he was pleased with the company and the bid price, but said he thought it was too early to have the land appraised. Mayor Chuck Haney said the city should do what it can do to be prepared for when the state deeds the property to the city. No firm plans have been identified for a future use of the land; however, a possibility of utilizing the land for additional housing was discussed. The appraisal is expected to identify what the land is worth.

Also Monday night, the council decided to seek bids for building additional tennis courts at Danner Park. The request for more courts had been discussed in the past as part of a partnership between the city and the school system with funding from several sources. The school district has applied for a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Tennis Association, $10,000 has been pledged by a private donor if new courts are built by Aug. 1, 2008, and there has already been $13,200 raised in private donations. The city is considering funding the balance of the cost but wants to know the cost before making a commitment. The total project has been estimated to cost around $100,000, including landscaping.

Also Monday night, the council approved streamlining the contract process with Green Hills Regional Planning Commission. In the past, the city has had its own independent contract with the agency. However, the agency usually contracts with the counties in the region and the counties then bill the cities. The dues paid to GHRPC is based on population (40 cents per person) in the most recent census, which was 8,968 in 2000. That population translates to $3.587.20.

In executive session Monday night, council members discussed filling the parks director vacancy being created by Ed Crawford, who submitted his resignation on Monday and is effective May 31. The city plans to start advertising for a new director of parks and recreation and have the post filled by June 1, according to City Administrator Dean Brookshier.