Citizen: Developer asking too much of city

City Council sets Dec. 13 to name two replacements for empty seats

Requests from a developer for tax forgiveness and a public-private partnership are too much to ask, according to one Sterlingite.

Dr. Phil Pollock addressed Sterling City Council during the council’s regular meeting Tuesday (Nov. 22) meeting, saying he was “totally against” the seven requests made by Ty Jackson two weeks ago for assistance in redeveloping the former Stevens Elementary School into low-income housing.

At the Nov. 8 meeting, Jackson asked the city for a property tax exemption for 10 years, expedited free building permits, a partnership to help secure grants, approval of a “phased development,” free upgrades to water and sewer if needed, free water and sewer utilities for two years, and a mobile on-site security unit to prevent further damage to the building.

Pollock accused the council of hastily approving projects, and pointed to the Springdale Apartments project in west Sterling, saying, “We knew about this for two years; why now?” Pollock glossed over the fact that the project got the green light only after the U.S. Senate approved a $550,000 grant to build the 38unit apartment building, which will offer homeless individuals and families in the Sterling area a new start in life.

Pollock also objected to the city entering into a private-public partnership to secure grants to complete the Stevens School project. He called the listing of the 70-year-old school building on the National Register of Historic Buildings “laughable.”

In fact, the school, originally named Pantall Elementary, was granted inclusion on the registry because it was designed in the Modernist International Style, popular in public building design across the nation in the early and mid-1950s. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, “Pantall and other schools like it across the country, were designed to embrace and convey progress, modernity, safety, and efficiency. They appeared in sharp contrast to older school buildings which seemed antiquated by comparison. Elements of the International style seen in the Pantall School’s design include its asymmetrical plan, horizontal lines, smooth wall surfaces, flat or very low-pitched roofs, horizontally-oriented window arrangements,

and a clear emphasis on function rather than ornamentation.”

Pollock admonished the council to not make a hasty decision concerning the school.

In other business Tuesday, the council set Dec. 13 as the date for naming replacement council members for the two open seats in Ward 1. Councilman Mike Anderson moved away from Sterling, vacating his seat at the end of August. The council had selected former Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Steve Burnham to fill that vacancy. Burnham, who was recovering from colon cancer at the time, was suddenly taken ill in early November and died unexpectedly on Nov. 13. Meanwhile, Councilman Martin Gaines had announced that, because he was moving out of Ward 1, he had to resign his position as well.

Four of the applicants to fill Anderson’s seat still are interested in serving. The council will select two and have them sworn in during the Dec. 13 meeting.

Mayor Brenda Desormeaux opened Tuesday’s meeting with a moment of silence in memory of the late Steve Burnham.