ENID — Enid city commissioners said they did not learn much Tuesday about the injunction to slow down the downtown Enid Renaissance Project than they already knew.
However, after meeting in executive session they did give City Manager Eric Benson authority to negotiate for purchase of the old Homeland building at Garriott and Oakwood, with an eye on reselling the property.
After a two-hour executive session, the commission came back into open session and Ward 4 Commissioner Drew Ritchie made the motion to allow Benson to negotiate the purchase. Ward 3 Commissioner Lewis Blackburn seconded and the motion was approved unanimously. Ward 2 Commissioner Mike Stuber was unable to attend the 2 p.m. meeting.
Benson later said the purpose of buying the Homeland building, which has been vacant since 2005 when the grocery store closed, was to place the building back in retail circulation.
“The building represents one of the biggest monuments and most recognizable in the city,” Benson said.
About 78 percent of Enid’s retail sales are recorded along Garriott, between Cleveland and Garland. Benson called the empty Homeland building a glaring hole in the city’s “arsenal of economic weapons.” There are several potential clients in mind, he said, and the city will negotiate with AWG Corp., which owns the building.
In the executive session, commissioners also discussed a proposal to entice a business to locate within the city of Enid. They did not disclose what business it was.
With respect to the injunction filed by Bob Berry, of D.C. Bass & Sons Construction, to stop the fast-tracking of the Renaissance project, Benson said the purpose of the meeting was to update commissioners on the legal matter and answer any questions. Ward 5 Commissioner Tammy Wilson said city officials mostly answered questions from commissioners.
Mayor Bill Shewey said he did not discover anything new in the executive session, but would not comment further because it is a pending legal issue. Attorney Margaret Love, of Oklahoma City, who is representing the city in the matter, was not present at Tuesday’s meeting.
Berry filed a petition for injunction relief and a request for a hearing this week, stating the city failed to follow certain statutes and the city charter in moving forward with Enid Renaissance Project. The centerpiece of the project is construction of a new events center. Also included is renovation of Convention Hall.
Berry said the intent is not to stop the project, just slow it down. He said he has a big problem with construction starting just before the National Junior College Athletics Association Division II World Series is to start at David Allen Memorial Ballpark on May 27.
“It is just to require city staff to stop and do the basic developmental planning required for any public or private project,” Berry said in a letter to city commissioners.
Berry also contends the city is violating the charter and ordinances in fast-tracking the project. A court hearing on Berry’s injunction has been scheduled for May 17 before District Judge Paul Woodward.
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