Erica Techo
Mayor Earl Niven at the Chelsea City Council meeting on June 21.
The Chelsea Sports Complex will soon have another 8.9 acres for an emergency exit.
At the June 21 Chelsea City Council meeting, the council approved the purchase of extra property for the sports complex from David Brogdon of Two Mountains LLC.
“Anytime you have a big development like that, you need to have more than one way in and out,” said Mayor Earl Niven.
The purchase price for the land was $90,000, and Niven said the purchase will close between now and June 30. The purchase was unanimously approved by the council.
The land could also serve a purpose other than an exit in the future, said council member Dale Neuendorf, noting the land could be used for an extra ball field or parking.
During pre-council, Niven told the council members that the sports complex is coming together. The lake is complete, there is sod on two of the baseball fields and Niven is gathering prices on metal buildings which would be used for storage.
“It’s not as cheap as what it used to be, I’m finding out,” he said. “When I get two or three bids in, I’ll bring it back for you [the council] to look at.”
The mayor also discussed the upcoming year’s budget with the council in regard to ongoing and future capital projects.
“If there’s not a runoff, we ought to have the mayor in August,” he said. “If that’s the case, I’m going to pull that person in to help me develop the budget so they can see how I do it.”
Niven said when he develops the budget, he starts by looking at what he spent in the former year.
“That is the easiest part of the budget, is determining the operating expense for next year,” he said. “Where you run into scratching your head is determining what capital items do we need and in what priority.”
He also presented a projected budget for next year, which included potential operating costs for the Chelsea Community Center and the new sports complex. The community center’s operating cost will likely be around $271,000, including the cost of electricity, water, janitorial and maintenance supplies and labor. The sports complex, he said, would cost over $100,000 to operate for the full year, bringing the total of operating the two amenities to around $379,000.
Neuendorf asked if that cost factored in a parks and recreation director, and Niven said that was not included. He added that the city does not need one at this time, as it will not take total control of youth activities or scheduling at the complex until demand increases.
“I think until we get to where the city is going to take total control of youth activities, we can operate like this,” he said.
Niven said the future mayor would need to consider these costs when looking at the budget and considering future capital projects.
“The hardest problem that a new mayor is going to have to do is to think about what money we have and what is the best use for that money,” he said.
Also at the city council meeting:
- The council approved to pay the city’s bills.
- Niven told the council the community center has brought in about $14,000 in revenue since opening, and he expects that number to grow to around $30,000 by the end of the year.
- Niven informed the council he was looking at installing a putting green at the community center. The green would include nine holes, a putting green and a chipping green. One estimate he got was $38,500, and he said he will gather more bids.
- City Clerk Becky Landers notified the council and meeting attendees that there will be a voter ID registration event at Chelsea City Hall on July 11 beginning at 8 a.m. There is no charge, and the event is being held to provide a way for voters to obtain a photo ID if they do not have one.
