Payette board approves land appraisal

By JESSICA KELLER - ARGUS OBSERVER
Tuesday, June 5, 2007 11:31 AM PDT

PAYETTE - The Payette City Council approved a plan Monday night to appraise 66 acres of land next to the Payette airport.

The appraisal plan evolved after Dick Miller of Cartell, Inc. an agri-business consultant agency from Huston, Idaho, approached the council regarding the possibility of selling 66 acres adjacent to the airport for the creation of an airpark.

While the council did not vote on the airport proposal — which includes turning the 66 acres of land off of the southwest area of the airport into a gated, private airpark for single-family residences and airplane hangars — it did suggest the consultants have the land appraised.

The appraisal, to determine the fair-market value of the property, will be at the consultant’s own cost. Later, the appraisal will be submitted to the council.

Payette City Councilwoman Vallerie Klitch voiced a concern the council was approving a project without the benefit of public opinion, but other council members said the appraisal was not an approval of the airpark itself. Should the council decide to move forward with selling the land in the future through public auction, first the council would have to set a minimum price for the property and then hold a public hearing, Payette City Attorney Bert Osborne told the council.

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Miller said Cartell, Inc. was interested in creating a planned aviation community with approximately 77 lots for single-family residences and plane hangars.

“The setting here is just ideal,” Miller said, adding the Payette area is a nice rural setting close to a metropolitan area. He said Payette has a beautiful airport and golf course.

“It doesn’t get any better than that,” he said.

Frazier Peterson, airport advisory committee chairman, said the committee was in favor of an airport.

“Obviously this is a dream come true for us if this can come to fruition,” he said, adding the committee thought the airpark would be an economic boost to the community and allow for improvements at the airport.

“This would be everything to the nth degree that we can dream of,” Peterson said.

Also during the City Council meeting, the council approved the second reading of an ordinance adding a new chapter to the city’s municipal code annexation procedures. The City Council also approved the second reading of an ordinance amending sections of the Payette Municipal Code to prohibit kennels within city limits.

The council also approved a request by Mark Bainbridge, representing River of Life Church, to waive building permit fees for the construction of an addition to the church in exchange for the church’s youth providing community service to be decided upon by the City Council.