Going…going…gone

By Staff
City sells Groover Road House for $600
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
A city-owned frame house at 621 Groover Road has been sold at auction on GovDeals.com for $600, according to Mayor Dwight Tankersley.
The property was advertised on the internet for two weeks. Three bids were received. The best offer-$700-came from Bruce Taylor of Huntsville. He declined to close the deal, however, and the offer fell to Beverly Turner of Hartselle, the second high bidder.
The city council voted to buy the house and its 1.1 acre lot for $86,000 on Oct. 10, 2004, two months after the previous council refused to pay an asking price of $89,500.
"It's a win-win for the city regardless of the amount we got," said Tankersley. "Had we not found a buyer, the city would have had to foot the bill for tearing it down and hauling it to the landfill. Also, its removal at this time will facilitate the planning for and the location of new soccer fields in the area."
Tankersley said the low bidder will have 90 days from June 17 to either tear down and remove the house or move it to another location. A city permit will be required and reimbursement to the city will be required on any traffic control costs associated with its removal.
The 1.1 acre lot plus 39 acres on all three sides of it is a new addition to Sparkman Park. It will be used in part as the site for a new soccer complex.
After city officials agreed over two years ago to purchase the 39 acres in two separate transactions, with grant assistance, the property owners-Bobby and Kathi Jenkins-approached them with a request for the city to buy their house and lot. They objected to their property being surrounded by public park land.
First phase construction of the soccer fields is expected to begin later this summer with the assistance of a $150,000 Land and Water Conservation Grant. The fields are expected to be available for use in the fall of 2006.