The Mayer City Council has decided to proceed with plans to re-develop the former Sandblasting Services site. The decision was made during the council’s meeting on Oct. 26.

The latest step in the process has city officials submitting paperwork to the Minnesota Department of Revenue, setting a public purpose for the property and applying for grant dollars to cover expenses to evaluate the site.

The property the city is pursuing, located at 113 Fifth Street NW, fell into tax forfeiture over the summer. It was formerly home to Sandblasting Services and for decades before that it served as a creamery.

The city council on Monday night unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the submission of a conveyance application to the Carver County Board of Commissioners and the state Office of the Commissioner of Revenue. The application states the city’s desire to have property ownership transferred from the county to the city via a conveyance. A conveyance gives the property to the city at no charge.

One catch of the conveyance arrangement, however, is that city officials must set a specific public purpose for the land, with the hopes it will meet the Department of Revenue’s requirements. The council has compiled a long list of potential uses and Monday night, the five council members settled on using most of the property for parks and recreation purposes. (A 30-50 foot wide swath of land on the south side of the property is designated for street right-of-way.)

The council said deeming the lands for parks and recreation still keeps the city’s options open for the property, as the council awaits the findings of a Phase II Environmental Assessment being conducted by Braun Intertec. City staff is also looking into hiring a structural engineer to evaluate the soundness of the building on the property.

The necessary investigations on the site do not come without a price tag, however. City Administrator Luayn Murphy, though, was prepared for the monetary impact and is working to secure two separate grants that could cover about 75 percent of the expenses.

The first grant is through the Minnesota Historical Society in the amount of $7,000. If awarded to the city, those dollars would go toward the structural engineer’s fees.

The second grant is through the Minnesota Department of Economic Development and could cover 75 percent of the Phase II Environmental Assessment costs. The city would be expected to chip in the remaining 25 percent or about $9,100.

Once the information is obtained from the assessments in the coming months, the council can use it to determine how it wants to proceed with the project. Murphy said if the reports from the engineer or environmental professional find the property to be cost-prohibitive to repair, the city has the option to deed the land back to the state. If, however, the report finds the land and building salvageable, the city at that time could narrow down still further its intentions for the property.

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