By Kimberly Gasuras
CCN Reporter
BUCYRUS — The City of Bucyrus recently took ownership of a local trailer park.
According to city law director Rob Ratliff, the city purchased the McFarland Trailer Park from Gloria McFarland earlier this month.
“The purchase price of the land was $13,000, and we paid the back taxes which were a little under $12,000. Some of the tax money will come back to the city since the city had several liens on the property,” Ratliff said of the property located at the corner of East Mansfield Street and Penn Avenue.
Ratliff said the liens on the property stem from multiple property maintenance violations.
“City council made the decision to purchase the property because it is in a prime location to be developed,” Ratliff said, noting that other properties in the area are up for sale and coming up for sale in the future such as the former Wire Assemblies building, the Veterans of Foreign Wars building and several others.
Ratliff said the city may sell the property or create an economic development district.
“It would make more sense for us to create an economic development district because that would allow the city to have more control over how it is developed. We do not want to end up with a similar situation to the one we just had,” Ratliff said.
The trailers on the property currently are being cleaned out to prepare them to be sold.
“They will be sold through the bidding process,” Ratliff said.
All the trailers now are vacant, except for one.
“There is one family still living in one of the trailers and it is in very poor condition. We are trying to help the family relocate and are not charging any rent while they are looking for a new place to live,” Ratliff said.
Ratliff said the money the city has spent on the trailer park will be recovered when the land is sold.
“We should not have a problem recouping our money, and then some, because this is prime land,” Ratliff said.