County won’t buy old CRH parking lot

County won’t buy old CRH parking lot

10- acre tract will be sold as part of Crittenden Regional bankruptcy

news@theeveningtimes.com

Crittenden County will not be buying the back parking lot at the former Crittenden Regional Hospital.

County officials decided against purchasing the 10acre lot for $50,000 but instead suggested that the state might want to buy it for Arkansas Community Correction’s rehabilitation treatment center which is leasing the building.

“We’ve put enough money into this building,” said Quorum Court Justice Vickie Robertson.

The county owns the former hospital building, but the parking lot belongs to the Crittenden Hospital Association which went bankrupt and closed its doors in August 2014.

The lot is now a part of the bankruptcy and must be sold.

Crittenden County has leased the building to Arkansas Department of Community Correction for one dollar a year. ACC plans to renovate the building and move 350 female non-violent inmates from its current facility Pine Bluff and operate it as a drug rehabilitation facility.

Wheeless said ACC needs the parking lot because if it is purchased by a private entity, it would restrict access to the rear of the building.

“They are telling me they need it,” Wheeless said.

“They don’t want to be blocked off from the back.” Several justices suggested that the state should purchase it, not the county.

“I say let the state buy it,” said Justice Stacy Allen.

Robertson said she doesn’t see any need for the county to buy the lot since they don’t ever plan to occupy the building.

“That property is dead in the water,” Robertson said.

“If we don’t foresee the county ever occupying that hospital, then if they need it, why don’t they buy it?”

Justice Ronnie Sturch agreed.

“My first consideration on this was that it is a good deal for the property,” Sturch said. “I was 100 percent for it. But the more I think about it, what benefit is it for the county to own it?”

Sturch said if ACC leaves the building the county would tear it down anyway and be stuck with a parking lot too.

“Then we would have another ten acres we own,” Sturch said. “So what? Do we need it for ourselves for the county to spend $50,000 on it?”

Wheeless said the county doesn’t need the property, but pointed out that it would make it harder for the county to ever sell the building in the future without any parking.

“The only thing I would say is that it definitely would eliminate any opportunity of us selling that property if there is no parking to go along with it,” Wheeless said. “And you might never be able to sell it.”

Others on the court said the price for the land was very reasonable.

“It’s a good price,” said Justice Lisa O’Neal, who is a Realtor. “But I see both sides.”

“It’s a good price if we had a use for it,” Robertson added. “But we don’t have a use for it. So that’s $50,000 we would be spending that we get nothing back for.”

Justice Ronnie Marconi argued that it would be better to buy the parking lot than risk somebody else buying it and building something on it that would lessen the value of the hospital building even more.

Well, do you want somebody else to buy it and put something else beside it?”

Marconi asked.

“I don’t care, if we’re not going to ever occupy that building,” Robertson responded. “When we were talking about opening that hospital back up I was all in favor of it. But we’re not going to occupy the building. Why buy something that you don’t need?”

“In ten years from new we could,” Marconi added.

“In ten years from now do you really think the building is going to improve?”

Robertson asked.

“I understand that,” Marconi said. “What if they don’t sell it? Then what happens? It sits there.”

Wheeless said the property will find a buyer, and pointed out that three lots across the street sold for $150,000.

“They’re going to sell it,” Wheeless said. “They have no choice. And it will go for a lot more than that.

Their main concern was that one of those entrances would be blocked off if the private sector bought it.”

Robertson said if that is the case, then the state would almost surely have an interest in buying it.

“If you are getting a building for a dollar a year, surely you can spend $50,000 for some parking — if you need it,” Robertson said. “But that parking lot is only of use to whoever is occupying that building. I don’t see us putting another $50,000 in there. At some point we have to stop putting money in to it.”

Wheeless said he would inform ACC that the county is not going to buy the property.

“I don’t have a problem going to them and telling them we’re not interested,” Wheeless said.

By Mark Randall