This former cáfe at the corner of Sixth and Main streets in Pleasanton will become the new senior meal center for the city. (Journal file photo)
By Charlene Sims, Journal staff
MOUND CITY – The former MeeMaw’s Country Kitchen building at 602 Main St. in Pleasanton will become the new Pleasanton Senior Center.
On Monday, April 24, the Linn County Commissioners approved
by a 2-1 vote the purchase of the building for $73,000 The motion also included covering closing costs, title fees and 2023 taxes.
Commissioner Jim Johnson voted against the purchase. Commission Chair Danny McCullough and Commissioner Jason Hightower voted for the purchase. McCullough represents the Pleasanton, and he has been working to find a way to replace or renovate the current senior center there.
The commissioners voted unanimously to sell the current senior center.
County Counselor Gary Thompson said that selling the current senior center involves passing a resolution by a unanimous vote of the commission, then a notice of the sale will be published three consecutive weeks, and then the county has to wait four to five days to give time for a protest petition.
If there is a protest petition signed by 2% of the electorate, the county will have to put it up for a vote. If not, the county can begin the selling process.
Thompson recommended that the county ask for a sealed bid and put a reserve on it.
“You reserve the right to reject all bids if they are not high enough,” said Thompson.
The commissioners previously had been given an estimate from the county’s contract consultant Randy Page for remodeling and repairs to the MeeMaw’s building. Those repairs were needed to make the building accessible and safe for the center.
The estimate included redoing a bathroom to be American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant and adding a second bathroom. Other improvements were repairing around the electric meter, other electrical work, some cosmetic work on the interior like fixing and replacing some ceiling tiles, paint and installing a wash sink. On the exterior, a broken window needed to be replaced, some clean up and some siding issues and holes on the south end. And also adding a kitchen area.
The commissioners decided to wait on the final estimate for repairs until the current resident moves out of the building.
The purchase of the former restaurant also solves an issue for the city of Pleasanton. Pleasanton zoning does not allow for a building in a commercial zone to be used as a residence without specific requirements. The city and the building’s owner had been at odds on that issue.
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