The Judicial Center’s Project Development Board (PDB) held a regular monthly meeting last Friday, April 15, with six board members on hand.

The board continued to deal with property site appraisals, voting to accept the latest Site #2 appraisal, which takes in a total of three separate, but adjoining, locations.

After approving minutes from the previous board meeting, a motion was made by Jake Staton, seconded by Jesse Stockton, to receive the appraisals for Site #2, which takes in McWhorter Implement, McWhorter’s Variety and Ferguson Brothers. The motion passed by unanimous vote.

The board, also on a motion by Staton and seconded by David L. Williams, entered into executive session pertaining to property acquisition. No action was taken during the closed session.

Upon returning to open session, the board voted 6-0 to offer all three properties for Site #2 as follows: McWhorter Implement, $125,000, McWhorter’s Variety, $211,000, and Ferguson Brothers, $300,000. The total coming out to $636,000 for the combined site.

This is contingent upon all three landowners accepting the offer.

On a motion by Staton and seconded by Mike Lawson, they voted to have the County Attorney prepare a letter to the landowners, and on a separate motion by Staton, seconded by Williams, “to allow the landowners the opportunity to present their own appraisals at the next regular meeting.” Both motions passed unanimously.

Site #2 had originally been in the initial plans when several possible locations were chosen.

Most recently, the PDB reinstated that location into the mix, when members of the Foothills Festival Committee, whose building was once a part of one of the final locations, informed the board they wished to withdraw from consideration to sell that building.

There are apparently three site locations still in consideration, including Site #2, as well as the block across from Albany City Hall and the Water Department and the old Albany Stockyards location in South Albany.

The only other action taken by the Project Development Board last week was to accept the disbursement request in the amount of $6,500 to John Lyons, appraiser.

The next regular meeting of the Judicial Center PDB is scheduled for Friday, May 20 at 8 a.m. in the upstairs courtroom of the courthouse and will be open to the public.