The red dot on this map points to the vacant lot at 210 W. Section St., Claypool. Image from Google Maps.

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

CLAYPOOL –  Claypool Town Council heard an inquiry regarding a vacant Section Street lot during a meeting on Tuesday, May 19.

Michael Engel was at the meeting to ask about the property at 210 W. Section St. Engel said he was interested in placing a mobile home there since he bought the property.

Council members noted that in the past, someone else had inquired about placing a mobile home there and that the idea was met with uneasiness from neighbors. When the issue last arose in April 2019, neighbors expressed concerns about the possibility of a mobile home de-valuing their property; meanwhile, council members expressed concerns about a mobile home being one of the first homes that people see when entering town limits.

Engel then asked about the possibility of placing a double-wide home on the property. He also said he plans to have a garage attached to the residence.

Council members moved to think on the matter and get an answer to Engel by the council’s June meeting.

In other business, Jeff Hersha with Jones & Henry Engineers was at the meeting to provide council members with a brief update on the appraisal process for the town’s water utility.

“That process includes two independent appraisals from an engineer’s standpoint and an appraisal of the actual real estate and land value from a third party,” said Hersha. “At this point, we’re still in the process of collecting information and data that we need. This is the first public meeting I’ve actually attended in two months; so things have been kind of slow to get information.”

Hersha attributed the delays to COVID-19.

For the month of April, the Claypool Police Department responded to 167 calls for service. Reserve officers for the town worked a total of 206 hours.

The council’s next meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 16.