Economic Development Director Jami Williams said the building in the northwest corner of the south side of the industrial park will be available to a business on a lease-purchase plan. She said the floor will be unfinished until a business is committed so it can be done to specifications.

Williams, City Attorney Dan Baldwin, City Administrator David Mayfield and businessmen Greg Carlson, Chris Costello, Nick Nicholson and Mike Regnier joined councilmen in the executive session.

Williams said the building won't interfere with any future decision by the county to build a community corrections center because the location being considered by county commissioners would be in the southeast corner of the park.

Williams also announced approval of a 100 percent reimbursement transportation grant for $14,500 for safe routes to school to see if more sidewalks and other infrastructure are needed for children to walk to school safely in Marion.

She said the receipt almost guarantees receipt of a Phase Two grant that would make $250,000 available for building the needed improvements.

At Williams' behest, the councilmen also unanimously approved two business grants funded by the city.

The first was for $3,165 of a $6,330.24 investment by Diane Jeffrey to expand equipment for a new photography studio.

The second grant was for $5,000 of a $14,648.17 investment by Lisa Wilden to expand therapies and services offered in a massage therapy business.

The rest of the meeting featured discussions of various street and sidewalk improvements, all of which were tabled for two weeks to give more time for consideration.

One of these presented by Mayfield was for an 80-20 transportation grant for Main Street between Walnut and Fifth that would replace street lights, install underground electricity, replace sidewalks and street for a cost of around a million dollars.

Mayfield said that would leave the city responsible for approximately $200,000 of the cost plus $120,000 in engineering fees based on 12 percent of the cost, plus another $6,500 for engineers to write the grant.

He said spending the money for grant application now might do the city no good if the program is not continued after all.

Councilman Gene Winkler said he didn't like a part of the grant that would expand several blocks of sidewalks to even them out, thus changing most Main Street parking to parallel parking rather than angle parking. He thought it made more sense to move in one uneven area of sidewalks to cut costs and save parking space. Kline agreed that he liked the rest of the project, but not the sidewalk change.

Former Mayor Eloise Mueller who headed a committee on the project agreed the parking needed to be changed: "I hate parallel parking," she said.

Councilman Stacey Collett suggested Mayfield be charged with keeping track of what happens to the grant program's future.

Roger Hannaford and Doug Sharp told commissioners that when a residential area was begun 12 years ago at Country Club Heights, they were told paving, curbing and guttering Fairway Drive into the area would cost $62,000, but now that cost has grown to $180,000.

They said the resulting assessment of $26,000 per household would be too much for individual residents to pay. But they said they felt entitled as city residents to something better than the gravel road they now have.

They contended that a simple four-inch asphalt overlay of the road without curbing and guttering probably would suffice for such a low-traffic area for the next 20 years. They suggested that a second tube or culvert could be added to one in an area that floods on the road so that water could get away faster.

Holdeman said the trash truck's weight could add to wearing the street more quickly.

Collett noted that city ordinance requires curbing and guttering of any newly surfaced street, and the Council would have to make exception to ordinance to fulfill the request. He didn't like setting that kind of precedent.

Mayor Martin Tice suggested tabling the entire thing until engineers could look at drainage and planning for the area.

Street Superintendent Marty Fredrickson said the entire city crew was involved for the last week installing underground electricity for the new water plant upgrade.

The councilmen approved the third quarter financial statement, the September financial statement and the September investment and collateral report.

They approved paying warrants for $135,969.40, which included an $81,317.83 payment to Westar for electricity, and $25,143.67 payroll.