County opts to buy building for temp space

Recorder, elections to move in during construction of new facilities

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors have opted to go with the purchase of the Hoppstetter building for use as temporary housing of the Recorder’s Office and Election Services during construction of the new administration building.

The departments, currently located at 197 S. Main St., must temporarily relocate. The county plans to demolish the building as well as the existing facilities at 192 Maiden St. and 185 S. Main St. to make way for the new administration building.

David Hylland, director of facilities management, had previously presented the supervisors with information on the potential lease of the property at 102 S. Main St. to be used as temporary office and work space.

After looking at other options, Hylland said, the Hoppstetter building seemed the best fit for the needs of the Recorder’s and Election Services. Its proximity to the Administration Building also makes it appealing, and a basement and a large warehouse offer plenty of storage space.

However, the supervisors questioned the wisdom of leasing a property for years and asked Hylland to explore the possibility of buying the property. Subsequently, the board asked staff to obtain a property appraisal for consideration of a purchase as well as explore a lease-purchase option.

On Monday, Hylland noted that the lease-purchase option is not viable since the county would end up paying more than the appraised value at the end of the three-year agreement. The County Attorney’s Office determined this would violate state law because a county cannot pay more than the appraised value of property.

The supervisors discussed the remaining options, a lease agreement, a direct purchase or acquiring the property through the condemnation process.

The Hoppstetter owners are willing to lease or sell the property, Hylland said. The property could be leased, at $1 per square foot plus taxes, for $14,722 per month. The cost of a three-year lease would be $529,995. If a fourth year is needed, the total lease cost would be $706,660.

To purchase the property, the county would have to offer the appraised value of $900,000. The price is comparable to the cost of The Legacy building, located across the street at 185 N. Main St., which the county purchased at $900,000, and the Camarena property at 217 S. 2nd Ave., which the county is buying for $930,000 because it includes onsite parking.

A third option is to initiate “friendly” condemnation proceedings to acquire the property, as allowed by state law. The process calls for the county to offer the appraised value and deposit the funds. The owner has 20 days to respond. If the owner doesn’t take action after 20 days, the court proceeds with a condemnation hearing and determines the final property value.

Hylland explained that acquiring the property would come with additional costs, such as anticipated improvements estimated at $300,000. The building was last renovated in the late 1980s.

Some of the improvements would include adding another bathroom and upgrading the plumbing.

The building has two bathrooms, but they are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and are not sufficient for the county’s needs, Hylland said.

The outdated heating, ventilation and air conditioning system needs to be replaced. The county may use the three newly installed units at 185 S. Main St. or those currently used at the other buildings that will be demolished. Doing this would mean substantial savings for the county, Hylland noted.

The Hoppstetter owner had agreed to sell the property

directly to the county and would accept the appraised value, Hylland added.

In discussing the options, Chairman Tony Reyes indicated that he did not want to lease the property. “We would basically be paying the price of the building at the end of a three-year lease. It’s not really a good option,” he said.

He also did not favor condemnation. “Although it sounds friendly, condemnation procedures get a little unfriendly sometimes. They’re like divorces that begin with everyone agreeing and then later things happen.”

In his view, Reyes said, direct purchase would be

the best way to proceed. The other supervisors agreed, noting that they might save on renovation costs by using equipment from the building scheduled for demolition.

“A lot of the stuff over there from when we renovated the first time can be used here. That’s going to save money too,” Supervisor Darren Simmons said.

Reyes urged Hylland to move as fast as possible. “Time is of the essence here,” he said, noting that he probably had six month or less to get the transaction and renovations done.

With a 5-0 vote, the supervisors approved and directed Hylland to go with the direct purchase option.