Despite some grumbling over how much the city will be paid, the Slidell City Council has authorized Mayor Freddy Drennan to lease a small portion of city-owned land to the company developing the Fremaux Town Center shopping area along Interstate 10. Slidell Development Co. will pay the city $189 annually for the land, on which the company wants to...
Despite some grumbling over how much the city will be paid, the Slidell City Council has authorized Mayor Freddy Drennan to lease a small portion of city-owned land to the company developing the Fremaux Town Center shopping area along Interstate 10. Slidell Development Co. will pay the city $189 annually for the land, on which the company wants to erect a pylon sign.
The parcel of land is east of the center, adjacent to the Southwest Frontage Road, and measures about 5 feet by 20 feet. The company's pylon sign will be visible from Interstate 10. The lease is for 50 years and the company will have nine options for five-year extensions.
The council voted 7-2 Tuesday night to enter the lease, with council members Buddy Lloyd and Joe Fraught opposed. Fraught had unsuccessfully sought to postpone the vote, saying he thought the council should take more time on the matter.
Lloyd, noting city government's recent budget struggles, said the price the city would get was only $189 per year and reminded the council it was entering into a 50-year lease.
Slidell Councilman Lionel Hicks "We're always complaining we don't have money,'' Lloyd told the council.
Fraught, meanwhile, said he thought the council should take another couple of weeks to check with people in the sign business to see if it was getting a good price for the land. Fraught acknowledged that the parcel is tiny, but said he thinks the city could have gotten more than $189 a year for rent.
"It was too low,'' he said. "What's a good number? That's what we would have determined.''
The $189 figure was based on an appraisal of the parcel the company solicited.
After the vote, Councilman Bill Borchert agreed that the figure was low, but said the council can only make a decision with the information available to it. Joining Borchert in voting to enter into the lease were council members Landon Cusimano, Sam Abney, Jay Newcomb, Sam Caruso, Lionel Hicks and Kim Harbison.
Slidell Councilman Landon Cusimano Developers Stirling Properties of Covington and CBL & Associates Properties of Chattanooga, Tenn., are building the Fremaux Town Center retail area along I-10 south of Fremaux Avenue. Tenants for the first phase include Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Rack Room Shoes, PetSmart and T.J. Maxx.
City officials are hoping that the increased pace of the work - the site had been dormant for several years - is in an indicator of an economy on the upswing.
Also Tuesday, the council elected officers.
Hicks will continue on as president of the council, and will run the meetings. Cusimano will continue as vice president, edging Newcomb in a 5-4 vote. Cusimano, Hicks, Fraught, Lloyd and Caruso voted for Cusimano; Newcomb, Borchert, Hicks and Harbison voted for Newcomb.