A city lien on the historic Tomahawk building on Flaming Gorge Way was lifted Tuesday night, ending a months-long dispute between the city and Green River Futures.
The Green River City Council voted unanimously to remove the lien, without discussion.
Mike Frink, a member of the Green River Futures board, said the organization plans to sell the building. Frink said the organization also plans to install fire sprinklers if the building is purchased, effectively doubling the amount of space available in the Tomahawk.
Frink also said once the building does sell, he would like to see the leftover money from the sale spent aiding Green River Main Street with beautification work. Two ideas he likes are painting the Green River Viaduct and work on an idea known as Expedition Plaza, a plaza near the U.P. Train Depot building which would feature permanent stalls for farmer’s market vendors. However, nothing has been finalized.
“Those are just visions,” Frink said.
The building, under ownership by Green River Futures, was the basis for a number of disputes between the city and the economic development agency. Most recently, a request to remove a lien on the building was tabled by the Council as a result of confusion regarding two agreements signed by the city and Green River Futures. One agreement between the two called for Green River Futures to pay the city $100,000 of the proceeds from sale of the Tomahawk, while another agreement did not. Frink said the first agreement between the two allowed for the $100,000 payment, while the second, renegotiated agreement removed mentions of any payment required by the city.
According to Frink, the organization purchased the Tomahawk in 2008. The group immediately began to seek grant funding to renovate the structure and use it to create a business incubator, which would allow small businesses to rent out space and improve downtown Green River. The city received a grant for the building from the Wyoming Business Council, but the amount was returned by the city after council members complained of a first right of refusal clause in Green River Future’s sale contract with the original owner.
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