Prescott Food Pantry eyes new location; application sent back to Planning Commission - River Towns

Prescott Food Pantry eyes new location; application sent back to Planning Commission - River Towns

The general consensus of folks who came to voice their opinions was “not in my backyard.” While the majority claimed to support the food pantry, they feel the proposed location at Wacota Street and Highway 35 is less than ideal.

Food pantry director Peter French confirmed the nonprofit pantry has entered into discussions with property owner Greg Harris, in hopes of purchasing the parcel in order to build a larger food pantry in order to better serve the community.

While designs are extremely preliminary, what was outlined in the proposal is a 6,240-square-feet metal pole building with a 10-foot covered porch costing an estimated $200,000, complete with a customer-reception area, office space, adequate food storage space, and room for a convenience/thrift store, farmer’s market, community gardens, community bingo with concessions and a small shed to store garden/snow removal equipment in the future.

French said First National Bank of River Falls has approved the organization for a loan, while the Andersen Foundation and many other donors have guaranteed their financial support.

The Plan Commission voted to deny the special use permit at its Oct. 3 meeting, citing that although the pantry is community-oriented, a thrift store is not. The city council voted to send the application back to Plan Commission, requesting French provide more detailed information as to the uses of the property, timeline, business plan and project scale.

French told council members that he listed items on the application that are only possibilities at this point, to save the trouble of trying to add them to the permit later should they come to fruition. As for the bingo, he doesn’t foresee it moving from the American Legion, but put it on the application as storage for the equipment.

French estimated the new pantry would see about 15 to 20 vehicles per week without a thrift store. The number was based on the fact that the pantry currently serves about 170 families (500 individuals) on average per month, but not every family member nor every family comes each month.

All parking would be off-street, with the entrance off Wacota Street.

The Knights of Columbus recently donated 50 brand new winter jackets for those in need, so items such as these would be disbursed from time-to-time, French said.

Space is sorely needed as the 900-foot square space in the old Jacques Seed Building just isn’t cutting it anymore, French said in an interview Monday, Oct. 17. For example, UNFI recently donated 90 cases of chocolate milk and 800 pounds of organic ground beef. While wonderful, the question is, where to put it?

Residents’ two cents

Wacota Street resident Ray Hamilton said he is not against the food pantry, but doesn’t feel the proposed site is the right one due to traffic concerns. He said he feels the building is too large and worried about a thrift shop bringing even more traffic to narrow Wacota Street. While 15 to 20 cars per week going to a pantry is acceptable, he worried about traffic from the other proposed uses.

Locust Street resident Mark Huber spoke in favor of the pantry, saying that 20 percent of Prescott school children receive food to take home each weekend, not to mention police calls are not common to food pantries, unlike other establishments in the city.

Washington Street resident Coni Gray felt not having bingo at the facility made the project more desirable, but was concerned about traffic on narrow Wacota Street. She suggested working with the Legion or Senior Citizens for a community center.

Washington Street resident Brent Hamman concurred that bingo or the convenience store shouldn’t be in the application, but supports the pantry’s aim to support under-privileged families.

At the Plan Commission meeting, residents commented on the Borner Farm Project neighborhood complaints with traffic, zoning, the Freedom Park failed farmer’s market and the Wacota Street blacktop condition.

City administrator Jayne Brand told resident in commercial districts the cost of building and land has been high, so when the Harris property came into play the pantry felt it was affordable. It’s currently zoned multi-family residential, which allows community-based facilities under its special uses.

As the council talked it over Oct. 10, alderperson Maureen Otwell said she’d like a better description of how the building will be set up, a more detailed business plan including traffic and more information on how the thrift store would work.

See story on page A3 for more information.

Other business

• The council upheld a veto of the Class “A” beer and Class “A” liquor license by Mayor David Hovel for Dolgencorp (Dollar General). Hovel said the company should have requested the licenses at the time the business was being built in order to install security features required by the city to sell beer and liquor.

• The council voted to send a letter to the Prescott Sportsmen’s Club and town of Oak Grove stating the city has no objection to a proposed trap shooting range in the town of Oak Grove adjacent to the city compost site.

• After a closed session, the council approved a $5,000 contract with Cedar Corporation to write a Wisconsin Department of Transportation TEA grant and to assist with economic development planning including a tax credit application in the amount of $5,600. The TEA grant is for 50 percent of the cost of a street and the utilities connected with the street (based off the number of jobs a new company will bring in) in TIF 5.

• A proposed project in TIF 5 (Eagle Ridge) was discussed, which would be located east of Dexter Street north of Highway 10. It’s a Minnesota-based company who wants to relocated to Prescott, Brand said.

• At the Sept. 26 council meeting, liquor licenses for Cheryl Brownell, Rebecca O’Malley and Samantha Decker were approved.

• At the Sept. 12 council meeting, the council approved a resolution vacating the alley located in block one of Rodney Johnson’s Addition.

• The council approved a contract for assessing services with Accurate Appraisal (three years regular maintenance and one year of market revaluation) at the cost of $10,000 per year starting in 2017.

• The final pay request to TJ’s Excavating & Process Works for the south lift station totalling $7,596.56 was approved.

• The final pay request totalling $22,974.82 to McCAbe Construction for the Court and Laura streets project was approved.

• The council denied an insurance claim from Erickson Marine dated April 11.

• The council learned the city didn’t receive a grant for proposed Highway 10 pedestrian underpasses. They can reapply next year.

• The council approved a marina lease with Richard Anderson of Leo’s Landing.

• The council approved a farm land lease for the city’s compost site land with Gerald and Jeffrey Kosin.

• The Code Red Emergency Notification System will not be renewed, effective Dec. 31.