Colfax rezones 602 Evergreen to residential and awards bid to the McEldowneys

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — Kim and Earl McEldowney will soon be the new owners of the old salt-shed lot at 602 Evergreen Street.

The Colfax Village Board approved rezoning the lot from public use to residential at the October 9 meeting and also accepted a bid of $15,500 from the McEldowneys.

The McEldowneys’ house is directly to the east of the salt shed lot.

The Colfax Plan Commission held a public hearing on the rezone October 2 and recommended the village board approve the change to residential.

The 1903 building used to store the salt-sand mixture used on slippery streets in the winter was torn down last spring because village officials believed it posed a safety hazard.

Earlier this year, residents in the neighborhood came to the village board to say they had been circulating a petition asking the village board to keep the lot residential and not turn it into a commercial lot.

At one point, the Commercial Testing Lab was interested in the lot as a possible location for a garage to house the business’s route cars, which would have required commercial zoning.

Neighbors said they were concerned about children playing in Iverson Park and wanted the zoning to be residential instead of commercial.

Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer, reported that the bid opening for the property had been held October 5.

The deadline for bids was 10 a.m., and the single bid received was opened at 10:10 a.m., she said.

Sheila Riemer, deputy clerk, and Rand Bates, director of public works, also were on hand for the bid opening.

Initially, three or four people had indicated they were interested in bidding on the lot.

An appraiser listed the value of the lot at $20,000, and the Colfax Village Board set a minimum bid of $15,000.

Kim McEldowney attended the October 9 village board meeting.

Gary Stene, village president, commended the neighborhood group for paying attention to the business of the village and for coming to the village board about their concerns.

“It was interesting to see the process,” McEldowney said, adding she thought the village board had handled the issue well.

“We want to be transparent with our business,” Stene said.

McEldowney said she and her husband are planning to build a garage on the lot.

At one time, the lot where the salt-sand shed was located, along with Iverson Park and other lots on Evergreen Street where there are now houses, belonged with the house the McEldowney’s purchased from Dale and Beverly Johnson.

Niggemann said she would contact the village’s attorney about drawing up paperwork for the sale of the lot and changing the deed.

The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved the rezone and also unanimously approved accepting the bid from Kim and Earl McEldowney.

Village Trustees Carey Davis and Casey Rihn were absent from the meeting.