Galesburg City Council on Monday authorized city staff to negotiate a lease agreement with Downtown Depot at 120 E. Main St.
The Downtown Depot currently supplies hot meals on Monday nights and non-perishable food items, diapers, hats, gloves, blankets, hygiene items, and children’s coats to whoever needs them.
Director of Community Development Steve Gugliotta says the next steps would be that the city will draft up a lease and begin communicating with the Depot’s operators “on terms and what may work best for both parties.”
The City Council ultimately will have to approve the lease agreement.
Around December 2020, there was a verbal agreement for the Blessing Box Depot, now known as the Downtown Depot to utilize a portion of the city-owned property with no fee.
The approval was to assist the group with getting started and to provide space for the organization to get started as a non-profit.
Operator of the Downtown Depot, Diane Crock says “We ask no questions…if you need it you can have it. This is a community project. We just connect people.”
Why is a lease necessary?
Crock says negotiating a lease seems “fair and logical for now” but does have concerns.
She says most concerning is the “lack of communication and a number of ‘misunderstandings’ this current council is working on.
However, Crock says the “need is clear for a city-owned space downtown that can house multiple services in a one-stop-shop without a huge cost.”
Crock at the meeting questioned the timing of why a lease agreement was coming forward now.
Gugliotta says that when City Manager Gerald Smith started it came to his attention that the Trail Riders of Lake Storey had been using the mountain bike trail through Lake Storey since 2015 but without a formal agreement, insurance or being recognized by the state.
TRoLS access to the trails was immediately stopped until they became a non-profit, obtained proper insurance and reached an agreement in similar ways.
Gugliotta says City Administration felt it was appropriate to deal with similar situations in a “fair and equitable way.”
He explains that a lease protects both the city and the tenants.
Gugliotta says currently, “if an interested party wanted to lease or buy the building it could potentially lead to a situation where Ms Crock would have to leave the building ASAP.”
He says with a lease “there will be language that states that the City would give X days notice prior to her having to leave the tenant space thereby allowing her time to coordinate a move.”
Gugliotta adds, “From the City’s perspective, making sure there is proper insurance and defined lease terms would reduce potential liabilities.”