Property development agreement with Johnson on City Council agenda

The Rice Lake City Council will be reviewing the draft of a property development agreement with a downtown business in a bid to help it potentially move to the North Industrial Park.

After closed session on May 14, the City Council asked attorney Lindsay Kohl to prepare a draft North Industrial Park property development promissory note/agreement with Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies, located at 215 E. Allen St.

The Johnson location was one of the sites SEH researched as a potential home for a new Public Safety Building to house both the fire and police departments.

However, the site is not among the top two locations proposed for a new Public Safety Building, according to the final study, which will be presented to the council on Thursday in special session.

The Johnson location and Broten property to its east on the lakeshore have been earmarked in the past for redevelopment.

But the Broten property, also known as “Alcatraz,” may be severely contaminated. Barron County’s Executive Committee in April approved spending $2,500 for a grant application to the Wisconsin Assessment Monies that it hopes will bring them closer to cleaning it up.

If Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies moves and the Broten land is remediated, a prime piece of real estate would open to redevelopment on the lake near the downtown.