Donald and Deborah Even will continue to reside at 5573 Cincinnati-Dayton Road by leasing the property from the township for $700 on a month-to-month basis.
Approved by trustees following a recent closed-door session, that agreement continues either through the end of 2016 or until the township needs the property for construction of a fire station.
Along with approving the lease, trustees approved the final documents needed to purchase the land Dec. 19 for a total of $384,000 plus any additional fees and expenses associated with the sale. That amounted to approximately $386,630.
The township purchased 5563 and 5573 Cincinnati-Dayton for $137,000 each. The former property is a now-empty home.
The township also spent $110,000 for a vacant structure at 5555 Cincinnati-Dayton Road, one that served as the home of Gilby’s Irish Pub and Twilight Zone bar.
Trustee David Kern said he appreciates that township staffers smoothly navigated a purchase process that included receivership, foreclosure and other complications.
“This really was immensely, much more complicated than we all had anticipated, sometimes frustratingly so,” Kern said.
Administrator Kristen Bitonte singled out Assistant Administrator Melanie Hermes and Fire Chief Paul Stumpf for praise, saying they were “key” to helping the township complete the purchases.
Stumpf said he plans to use the two empty structures to train township firefighters before the structures are razed.
The proposed new fire station would mirror a 12,500-square-foot, $3.2 million facility that opened in 2010 at 5170 Princeton-Glendale Road.
Purchasing the property means Liberty Twp. now has it available for when the time is right to build a station, township officials said.
When constructed, the new station would serve the northeast quadrant of the township, as recommended in a 2008 facilities assessment. The new station would then alleviate coverage now provided via township fire stations on Princeton-Glendale and Yankee roads.
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