Council declines bid for Lincoln High School tracts of land

The city will hold onto land formerly occupied by the old Lincoln High School for a little while longer.

The Green River City Council voted to reject a bit for two tracts of land Tuesday evening. The bidder was William H. Smith and Associates, which had submitted a $50,000 bid for the land -- half of its appraised value.

The land is part of three tracts created after a fire in the abandoned high school caused it to get torn down. Tract A of the properties has had homes built on it, but the

The vote split the Council, with Jim Zimmerman, Robert Berg, Mike Shutran and Gary Killpack voting to decline the bid while Mayor Pete Rust, George Jost and Sherry Bushman voted in favor of it.

“This is just an unacceptable bid,” Zimmerman said prior to the vote.

Concerns about the bid amount were raised as the value of the property is expected to have increased since the initial appraisal was conducted in 2017.

“To me, it makes common sense the land would have appreciated,” Killpack said.

Those comments were backed by the city’s Public Works Director, Mark Westenskow, who agreed the land is likely much more valuable because one of the three tracts was developed.

Zimmerman said the cost of lots in Green River has increased, saying lots he looked at cost as much as $70,000. He said the city was in a position to consider a $50,000 for land that would be divided into 24 lots.

Will Dolinar, representing the company, said the bid was made because of the investment needed to create the lots and supporting infrastructure. The company did not plan to build homes on the land, but intended to set the lots up to later sell to developers looking to build houses on their lots.

“I’m not going to accept a proposal to develop apartments,” Dolinar told the Council.

As the proposal was declined, the city will advertise for bids at a later date and restart the process. Westenskow said other developers expressed interest in submitting bids after the initial deadline passed.

At the end of the meeting, Berg said he worries the Council’s vote will solidify a reputation the city has of being unwilling to work with developers and businesses wanting to expand into the city.