The “GREAT” Pullman Bay Land Swap

 

photos by Jack Clouse

 

Before we wrote this editorial we asked Celina City Administration and Council members to give us input on the Pullman Bay Land Swap.

 

Celina Council Member Bill Sell –

“ I think that the general consensus of the Celina City Council is that the proposed land exchange at Pullman Bay would be both beneficial for economic development and the safety of our citizens entering and exiting the park and the developed area.”

 

Celina Council Member Jeff Larmore –

I have said from the beginning that this land swap is a no brainer. The existing entrance is a accident waiting to happen and hard to find if you are not from the area. The new park entrance is not only going to make it easier to enter, it will enhance the appearance of the park. Like most land swaps there has to be some give and take and it has to make sense for everyone involved, the city, the developer, the existing Pullman Bay Restaurant and in this case everyone benefits.

 

written by Dave Schmidt for the Mercer County Outlook

 

On March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars. Critics attacked Seward for the secrecy surrounding the deal, which came to be known as "Seward's folly." The press mocked his willingness to spend so much on "Seward's icebox" and Andrew Johnson’s "polar bear garden."

 

The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of 828,000 square miles (2,140,000 km) of French territory ("Louisiana") in 1803. The cost was 60 million francs ($11,250,000) plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs ($3,750,000). Including interest, the U.S. finally paid $23,213,568 for the Louisiana territory.

 

And now the “GREAT” Pullman Bay Land Swap!

 

First of all this is something that needed to be done a long time ago.  I applaud Celina City Administration for making the effort to make this happen.  If you have never been to that area take time and drive by it and than try to get into the park, and that does not mean park at the restaurant lot and go in.  Try the entrance between Casey Jones Restaurant and the railroad tracks and that is a mess! Most people didn’t even know that there were residents back in that area or that it was even a street and not an alley. Try parking on Lakeshore Drive it absolutely is no fun and I am really surprised that more accidents have not happened because of those issues. The zoning from this particular area was done in the “horse and buggy” era of Celina.  Do you remember there was even a traffic light at the corner of Lakeshore and Market several years ago and that promptly turned in “car wreck heaven”.  So that general area has some real issues, this land swap will help to correct one problem.

 

Is this a perfect plan to acquire the property to construct a safe entrance for the park? No, it is way to expensive and the city might even lose a little in the exchange to the property owner.  Does that make it worth shelving? Nope!  The key in the entire issue is to make an entrance that will be safe for residents and visitors to the lake.  This swap does that.  How could the city avoid all of this? Many years ago they could have purchased the current Pullman Bay Restaurant property; it was always for sale in the 70’s and 80’s.  For several years that building had several owners, dating back for me to the old L&K Restaurant.  Thank goodness the city didn’t buy it because the present ownership has done a great job and I still love a West Bank sub when I visit Celina.  But that building and land could have been purchased by the city for a price that might have been expensive than, but now would be a real bargain compared to this deal.  But than again they could have purchased the present land from the swap as well many years ago and at a cost saving. 

 

Eminent domain, no way should this even be considered or used as a tool by the city to secure the land. Should the city even consider invoking this I would hope the residents of Celina would be on their phone to council members and city administration.  This would be “bullying” in the biggest form of government abuse.  The landowner has been dealing with the city in “good faith” according to reports and an agreement had been accepted in principal for the swap awaiting council approval.  “Nit-picking” on this issue is not needed and should not be considered in the final approval.  So the property owner in the eyes of some officials is getting a great deal, good for him it is America and he has every right.  I don’t blame the owner at all, more power to him.  What he does with the land after the swap is also his business, as long as he follows the zoning for that area. The changes requested by the landowner although they benefit him, also in the future will benefit Celina. City Administration did the groundwork on this project and kept council informed of the swap, for any council member to nit-pick the project at this stage is not something residents show be happy with. Run the city like a business; not like your “toy”, don’t grandstand at the 11th hour of negotiations.

 

After thinking about all of this it is refreshing to know that Celina City Council was not in charge of the Louisiana Purchase or the Alaskan Land acquisition because if they had been they would still be speaking French in New Orleans and the Soviets would be drilling for oil in Alaska.  Had the present City Council been in charge of building Grand Lake I’m afraid it would still be swampland and this would not even be an issue. Put all the petty stuff aside and make the deal for a safer Pullman Bay entrance, it should have been done years ago!