Poised for growth

O’Leary Council approves survey plan

O’Leary Town Council has approved funding for a survey plan for the first phase of the town-owned Pate property. Development committee chairman, Blake Adams, said the first phase of the proposed project calls for the development of the front 10 lots of the property.

He outlined the survey work to be completed first to prepare for that development, and includes an overall survey of the whole property, a more comprehensive survey of the first phase and a storm water management plan.

The cost of the survey work is $37,600 and just over half of that is for mapping out a plan for streets and sewer work, said Adams.

Council approved the plan and agreed to use gas tax funds set aside for such work. Adams advised that a local committee is working on developing plans for a senior care facility that, if it proceeds, might be developed on a back section of the Pate property.

“They are very interested in the land we set aside,” he noted. Council has also been working on plans for developing a strip mall on property the town owns near O’Leary Home Hardware.

Adams said his committee is now in possession of estimates for putting up the mall and council will need to crunch the numbers and decide if the project is feasible.

Council is not so much interested in having the town profit from the rentals as it is in opening up new commercial space and bringing new services to the town, but he said the development needs to at least break even.

He said there are perspective tenants waiting for space a strip mall would provide.