The ongoing debate regarding the fate of the Bellefontaine Armory, 1021 S. Main St., will continue at the regular meeting of the Bellefontaine City Council Tuesday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m.

An ordinance that calls for the city to sell the Armory and the two parcels on which the Armory sits to Wawa Midwest, LLC for $550,000 will be up for a second reading before council Tuesday night.

The first reading of the ordinance was presented to council April 28, where it passed by a 5-2 margin, with Council Members Wes Easton and Mick Lile casting the two “no” votes. Easton stated at that time that the property should be professionally appraised prior to the council passing the ordinance of sale, a position supported by Lile.

According to the Logan County Auditor’s website, the two parcels total 1.32 acres, with one tract 0.580 acres in size, and the second containing 0.740 acres. The auditor’s site notes that the two sites have been appraised for a total of $595,630, with the first parcel being appraised by the state for $353,870, while the second parcel is appraised at $241,760.

Following the April 28 meeting, Lile said that the city had, within the past year, entered into an agreement to lease the Armory to another business. He remarked that a signed agreement with this other business was withdrawn by the city for reasons that remain unclear. No leases, purchase agreements or legislation regarding the Armory had been brought before council prior to the April 28 meeting.

Council Member Kyle Springs, who is the Finance Committee Chairperson, said that at no time had the city listed the property for sale. Wawa Midwest approached the city out of the blue with the offer to purchase the Armory building and parcels, Springs said.

Wawa Midwest made the offer to buy the Armory after scouting a total of three locations in the city, finally picking the corner of Lake Avenue and Main Street as the object of their interest.

Wawa Midwest is headquartered in Delaware and, after opening dozens of stores on the east coast, has been aggressively expanding into the Midwest market, targeting the Cincinnati area and recently opening operations in Lima and Springfield. 

The northeast corner of south Main Street and east Lake Avenue is exactly the type of property that is in Wawa’s wheelhouse, that is, adjacent to a high-traffic intersection with easy access to the property from two sides. 

Just as importantly, the Armory site sits directly across from what would be Wawa’s major competition, that being Casey’s Gas Station, 1104 S. Main St., which is located on the southwest corner of south Main Street and west Lake Avenue  

This practice of placing a business as near a major competitor as possible – be it a gas station, restaurant or retail outlet –  is becoming a more and more common as a business model. Examples of this strategy can be found right here in Bellefontaine. Consider the side-by-side placement of the CVS and Walgreens pharmacies in the 100 block of E. Sandusky Ave., the Ashley Furniture and Francis Furniture stores but a stone’s throw distance between them along south Main Street on the south side of the city, while Aldi’s built its store on property abutting the Kroger Company.

A thorough appraisal of the Armory could cost as much as $8,000, an amount that would have to be approved by the council prior to hiring an appraiser. Should the city be able to contract for a complete and accurate appraisal that costs under $5,000, Mayor David Crissman has the authority to sign off on the appraisal without the council’s approval.

Springs went on to note that the ordinance, if passed with its present language, would sell the Armory property “as is”, meaning that that the Wawa would be responsible for either rehabbing the building and grounds or tearing it down and erecting a new structure as they see fit.

Given the age and general disrepair of the Armory, an “as is” purchase may very well include very costly and labor intensive removal of asbestos or heavy metals. With the purchase, Springs said, those expensive problems would no longer be the responsibility of the city. 

The council will likely take one of two actions on the proposed sale Tuesday. 

First, it can have a straight up or down vote on the second reading. Four “yes” votes would advance the legislation to a third and final reading at the next meeting; four “no” votes would kill the measure right there. 

Second, the council may vote to table the measure to buy time to have the Armory appraised. Tabled ordinances often have to be addressed within a certain time limit, meaning an appraisal needs to get underway so the Armory ordinance can get back on the agenda sooner rather than later. 

Privately, other members of council and of the city administration said they would be happy to be rid of the building, which is the very definition of a money pit. First funded in 1947 and dedicated in 1950, the Bellefontaine Armory served its purpose as a headquarters for local National Guard units for five decades and over the years was the long time quarters of annual Home Show, as well as hosting dances, concerts, parties, proms and receptions. 

But since the turn of the century, severely decreased demand for its use and spiraling operating and maintenance costs have kept the Armory’s doors closed to the point that the city rarely uses it, even as a storage site. The State of Ohio turned the Armory over to the Logan County Commission in 2009, which in turn passed it along to the City of Bellefontaine in 2017. Both transfers took place without money changing hands.

Three ordinances will be up for third readings and final votes Tuesday. Two involve the city streets, the first which will allow bids for the street paving program, which is expected to cost about $700,000, and the second to receive bids for the street painting project, which is estimated to cost $80,000. The third ordnance will authorize the purchase of recreational equipment.

The public is encouraged to attend.