Webster considers town hall, mini park

By Rose Hooper

The area discussed belongs to Jim Rhinehart, who owns the post office property and the house beside it.

"Jim has indicated that he would sell the property to the town," said board member Raymond Ledford.

"If that is the case, then we need to see what price he has in mind," said Mayor Steve Gray.

Webster resident Malcolm McNeill offered to ask a grant writer about finding funds to purchase and upkeep the property.

"The government pays $200 a month to rent the post office. I think it should be more, especially since the lease goes through 2015," McNeill said. "I know the trend now is to shut down smaller post offices, and if we ask for too much, the government may decide to close ours. But I don't think we would be unreasonable in asking for inflationary increases."

"The house on the property is in bad shape... it would need a lot of work. But it is an historical building; it was here when Webster was the county seat," said board member Billie Jo Bryson.

Webster Town Board members have discussed the need for and evaluated several possibilities for a town hall several times during their tenure.

Also during the meeting, board members discussed a certified letter sent by town attorney Orville Coward Jr. to Norman Dudgeon, who is apparently operating a sawmill business in Webster's residential zone. The letter informed Dudgeon he was in violation of the town's zoning ordinance and advised him to "discontinue immediately."

Back to Archive: 11/21/02.