County must move forward cautiously

It's good to see the Red Willow County Commissioners are pursuing the purchase of the West Ward site as the possible location for the proposed city-county public safety center.

From the start, the West Ward property has stood out as a site for the jail, law enforcement center and fire and ambulance station because of its convenient location. The square block site faces a through street -- West Fifth -- and is only a block off West B Street, which is the busiest route in town because it carries U.S. Highways 6, 34 and 83 traffic.

Also, the West Ward site has the advantage of being across the street from McCook Memorial Auditorium where the city offices are located, and it is less than a block away from Hillcrest Nursing Home, which accounts for the majority of the city's ambulance calls.

Even though they have a very promising place to put the proposed public safety center, the commissioners are correct to take the cautious approach in negotiations with the current owner of the West Ward property, Peter Coulter of Denver.

Because the public's money is involved, the commissioners need to be sure that the price for the property is equitable. That's why they are wise to request an appraisal before entering into final negotiations with Coulter. It is also the law on any potential purchases of $100,000 or more.

Hopefully, the county and Coulter can reach an agreement about the property's value. However, if they cannot, the county should not hesitate to use its eminent domain powers to resolve the matter.

It is regrettable that a deal was not made earlier when the property was offered for sale to the county by the previous owner, Jon Morrison. At one time, Morrison said he would take $50,000 for the West Ward property, but that offer was later taken off the table.

Now, it is likely the price will be higher, even if the county uses eminent domain to determine the value of the property.

Should the county pay the price? That depends. The major consideration should be how the price of the West Ward site compares with the price of other potential jail-safety center locations, such as the West Q school bus barn property which has the advantage of much more space.

At this point, the county's options are open. It should be an interesting summer as the commissioners and the jail task force strive to come up with a safety center proposal for voters' consideration.