Moose lot purchase sought by city for parking solution

An offer has been extended by the City of Greencastle to the Moose Lodge for the purchase of the parking lot east of its building and bounded by Washington, Market and Franklin streets.

The half-block parking lot on the east side of the Greencastle Moose Lodge could soon become city property if the lodge accepts a $100,000 offer for the site.

City officials have presented that offer to the Moose following two recent appraisals of the property and the unanimous approval of the purchase by the Greencastle Redevelopment Commission at that $100,000 appraisal price.

The Moose site -- everything east of the building and bounded by Washington, Market and Franklin streets just a block west of the courthouse square -- would provide a second downtown surface parking lot in lieu of building the 146-space parking garage that originally had been part of the city's $19.5 million Stellar Grant effort.

Back in August, city officials declared dead that proposed parking garage project designed for the site at Jackson, Walnut and Indiana streets after initial bids on a proposed $3.4 million structure came in nearly $1 million over estimates.

A redesign and subsequent rebidding failed to produce proposals any closer than three-quarters of a million dollars above estimated construction costs.

The original parking garage site at Jackson, Walnut and Indiana streets is expected to deliver a 50-space surface parking lot.

City officials have stressed a desire to make the surface lots aesthetically pleasing with good lighting, and more than just a sea of yellow lines and blacktop.

Ratio Architects has designed the original site to include a clock tower at the corner of Walnut and Indiana, and decorative lighting, green space and ornamental trees incorporated into the layout. The parking lot, as presently detailed, would be surrounded on three sides by a low brick wall and some wrought-iron fencing.

No such design has been readied for the Moose lot since the lodge isn't expected to vote on the sale of the property until its meeting tonight (Wednesday).

The overall parking lot project cannot go out for bids until the city has both parking lot proposals in hand, City Attorney Laurie Hardwick said at an earlier meeting.

The ultimate goal of the parking garage project, which has now evolved into a series of surface parking lots, has been to keep long-term parking off the courthouse square.

One element essential to accomplishing that is availability of free nearby parking without threat of parking tickets, combined with strict enforcement of the two-hour parking zone.

Thus the existing surface parking lots that ring the downtown area -- Vine Street, the lot north of the Banner Graphic and the Columbia and North Indiana streets site -- are destined to become free parking locations once the new lots are in use.