City Manager Joe Pepplitsch updated City Council on the general layout of the facility at their meeting on Tuesday, July 12.

There will be an amphitheater structure on the south side of the area and will be surrounded by a pentagon shaped sidewalk. At each of the five corners, there will be a pillar dedicated to each branch of the military with educational materials on their origins, history, and more.

Each pillar will be made of stone and brick and will feature a light fixture to help illuminate the space nearby.

In the middle of the pentagon sidewalk, there will be a raised hill, another way for people to view the amphitheater other than the fixed seats near the stage.

The overflow space will allow for larger events, the stage will be handicapped accessible, and Pepplitsch described the size of the stage as a “production stage”. There will be audio and visual hookups for acts that require it.

There will be four rows of fixed seating which will be theater style and have a similar ranking; a retaining wall will surround the seats. There will be restrooms on opposite sides of the stage.

Pepplitsch noted that they are still waiting for some state grants, but $800,000 has been raised locally and they have access to $400,000 in grants. The overall cost of the project is estimated at approximately $1.2 million.

Pepplitsch said they were ready to solicit bids for the project and see the price range. The council approved sending the project to auction.

The next item was a rental agreement with the city and LEXCARES, INC, the non-profit organization created to manage the former Avamere assisted living facility, now called “Ridgeway Senior Living.”

According to the agreement, the nonprofit must provide “quality services and operate a licensed and certified Medicaid assisted living facility and self-catering residence in accordance with all legal and regulatory requirements.”

Pepplitsch said the lease is for 10 years, with options to renew.

There was also a loan agreement between the association and the city presented; Pepplitsch said this will help the facility get up and running. The loan is $50,000.00 with an interest rate of 2%.

City council voted to approve the lease and loan agreements, council member Jeremey Roberts abstained in both votes, citing that he had been appointed to the LEXCARES board of directors and wanted to avoid a conflict of ‘interests.

Then there was a purchase agreement for a property located southwest of the intersection of 13th Street and Liberty. Dr Pepplitsch said it was a 20-acre lot west of Lexington Regional Health Center.

The intended use of the property is to build more senior housing according to the age-in-place concept. The purchase price is $350,000.00 and the expected closing date is September, the board has approved the deal.

The council then considered transferring the property to the Community Development Agency for redevelopment.

Pepplitsch said the property is a 72-acre parcel west of the Dawson County Opportunity Center and south of Cattlemans Dr. The planned redevelopment is to build more homes in the area. The board approved the resolution.

The next item was a resolution returning a degraded and substandard study to the Planning Commission for review and recommendation.

The study reviews redevelopment area six in Lexington, roughly the area north of Highway 30, west to Airport Road, south of 13th Street and west along of Liberty Dr. and Erie St. It leaves out the Eagle Run Apartment area.

The report says 41 of the existing structures in the area are over 40 years old, many of which were built before 1982. Water and sanitary sewer lines are aging and built with outdated materials, many were put in place in the 1970s.

Pepplitsch said this area offers a “multitude” of redevelopment options in the future and this study will be sent to the Planning Commission to see if they agree with the conclusion; if so, it will be referred to City Council where a public hearing will be held.

A public hearing was held for council to receive an update on the St. Ann Parish Community Block Development Grant Project.

Cozad Development Corporation executive director Jennifer McKeone noted that the council signed a contract with Lacy Construction and that she attended a webinar on the proper use of grant funds.

The board authorized the deletion of account balances deemed uncollectible; Pepplitsch noted that this is an annual board review.

Most of the balances were for utilities and the total amount was $17,846.57. It was noted that this was down from previous amounts, which were typically around $26,000.00.

The board also approved two payment requests, the tenth request from Walters-Morgan Construction for the 2021 sewage treatment facility project in the amount of $356,109.01 and a first request from Paulsen, Inc. for the Revere Circle and Prescott Circle project in the amount of $323,311.50.

As a final action item, Council has set a business meeting for Saturday, August 13 at 8:00 am.

During the roundtable, Pepplitsch noted that city staff will begin reviewing next year’s budget and that work is planned for the Oak Park wading pool project.