BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG -- Plans to sell property at 17 Main Street again raised concerns from Deputy Mayor John Rishe.

At the meeting Rishe shared a purchase offer from Michael Frary for the same property which was received by the council in 2020, but was not acted on.

The property is set to be marketed through a request for proposal process rather than through a typical auction.

The argument shared by the majority of council members is that the property is located in an area that’s ripe for development and therefore the city wants to ensure the property doesn’t sit vacant.

At the previous meeting business owner and former city councilor Bill Hosmer asked the city to sell the property though the RFP process in a letter to the council. Additionally he shared his plan to develop the property with partners into a brew pub and said that if the project wasn’t completed within three years, the property would be returned to the city.

“Ogdensburg has very little developable pieces of land left within the City and 17 Main Street is one of them. We believe the City should sell this property with an RFP so the City can ensure this property is developed and aligns with the LWRP. As Bill number 58 currently reads, the City would sell this property at auction to the highest bidder. While auctions may generate a little more money up front, it does not guarantee that the property will be developed,” Hosmer said in his letter.

“We have proposed that if we do not develop 17 Main Street within 3 years, then we will turn it back over to the City so that someone else can develop it. City Councillors are elected to lead this City and part of that is choosing a direction for the City and ensuring that it is developed with the vision set forth. If multiple RFP’s are submitted maybe we can work together to make all the projects work within the City or if the City chooses to go in another direction that is fine by us; however, we do not want the city to risk having another developable property lay vacant after it has been auctioned off, as we have seen happen time and again.”

However, Rishe said that the city had received a purchase offer on the property nearly one year prior. He said he believed the most fair way to sell the property would be at auction and said he believes the RFP process is too subjective.

“There is nothing in local law that says you can do an RFP and I don’t know if there is anything in state law,” he said. “I’m legitimately concerned about it. Because you do end up in a situation where you have multiple proposals and someone’s a winner and someone’s a loser,” he said.

City Manager Stephen Jellie said it won’t be that subjective. He said the city is laying out criteria and weighted values to make it less subjective.

Jellie said he plans to bring the proposal to council along with an opinion from the attorney on the matter.

“I believe that we are operating well within the law,” he said.

Jellie added that “certainly anything is challengeable these days’ and that nothing is bulletproof.

However, he said the city appears to be on firm legal ground.

Jellie said he is also working on advice from consultants who have used this process before.

The council agreed on Sept. 13 to move forward with the process and did not appear to be changing course as of Sept. 27.