Voters to see bond issue for new jail on April ballot
Shown above, a 25-acre tract of land to the south of Baywash Car Wash on Old Exeter Road in Cassville is the proposed site for a new county jail. The property is currently under contract between Barry County (the buyer) and Adjacent Properties, LLC (the seller). Photo by Sheila Harris.
October 20, 2021
Sheila Harris
A $230,000 offer by Barry County commissioners to purchase a 25.42-acre tract of land behind Baywash Car Wash on Old Exeter Road in Cassville has been accepted by the seller, Adjacent Properties, LLC.
According to Presiding Commissioner Gary Youngblood, the land is the proposed site for a new county jail if a bond issue is passed by voters on the upcoming April ballot.
“We’d been looking for the right piece of property for a while,” Youngblood said, “ever since Danny Boyd took over as sheriff.”
Boyd said it was about February of this year when he presented commissioners with a list of the problems with the current jail and suggested they might be further ahead to spend county money on building a new structure rather than attempting to remodel the old one.
The commissioners agreed.
“It would have been like throwing good money after bad to try to fix the current jail,” Youngblood said. “It’s already been remodeled three times, and it still sits in the flood plain.”
According to minutes from the September 30 and October 4 commission meetings, a ten-minute closed session was devoted to a “real estate discussion” during the former, and “a signed contract was received” by the commission at the latter.
Although the contract was not contingent on an appraisal to verify the value of the property, Youngblood says he believes the county is getting the land for fair market value.
“You look around,” he said. “You’ll not find anything similar to this property for this price with utilities nearby and easy highway access.”
According to Youngblood, the property was initially offered for sale by Adjacent Properties, LLC, for $250,000.
“We offered them $200,000 first,” Youngblood said, “but they wouldn’t take it.”
Adjacent Properties, a limited liability corporation based in Eureka Springs and Holiday Island, Arkansas, is managed by Fred and Margaret Bartell. According to data recorded in the Southern Missouri Regional MLS (Multilist), the company purchased the 25.42 acres on July 12, 2021, for $135,000.
The closing on the current real estate transaction is expected to happen on or before July 2022.
A site analysis is currently underway to determine the best size and type of construction for the land. Cost estimates for construction can then be calculated in order to arrive at a dollar amount for the bond issue to be presented to voters in April.
According to Youngblood, in addition to the bond for the construction of a new jail, a 1/2 cent sales tax increase will also appear on the ballot for voters’ consideration which will go toward enhancing law enforcement in Barry County, including raises for personnel and the hiring of additional employees for the prosecutor’s office.
Sheila Harris
A $230,000 offer by Barry County commissioners to purchase a 25.42-acre tract of land behind Baywash Car Wash on Old Exeter Road in Cassville has been accepted by the seller, Adjacent Properties, LLC.
According to Presiding Commissioner Gary Youngblood, the land is the proposed site for a new county jail if a bond issue is passed by voters on the upcoming April ballot.
“We’d been looking for the right piece of property for a while,” Youngblood said, “ever since Danny Boyd took over as sheriff.”
Boyd said it was about February of this year when he presented commissioners with a list of the problems with the current jail and suggested they might be further ahead to spend county money on building a new structure rather than attempting to remodel the old one.
The commissioners agreed.
“It would have been like throwing good money after bad to try to fix the current jail,” Youngblood said. “It’s already been remodeled three times, and it still sits in the flood plain.”
According to minutes from the September 30 and October 4 commission meetings, a ten-minute closed session was devoted to a “real estate discussion” during the former, and “a signed contract was received” by the commission at the latter.
Although the contract was not contingent on an appraisal to verify the value of the property, Youngblood says he believes the county is getting the land for fair market value.
“You look around,” he said. “You’ll not find anything similar to this property for this price with utilities nearby and easy highway access.”
According to Youngblood, the property was initially offered for sale by Adjacent Properties, LLC, for $250,000.
“We offered them $200,000 first,” Youngblood said, “but they wouldn’t take it.”
Adjacent Properties, a limited liability corporation based in Eureka Springs and Holiday Island, Arkansas, is managed by Fred and Margaret Bartell. According to data recorded in the Southern Missouri Regional MLS (Multilist), the company purchased the 25.42 acres on July 12, 2021, for $135,000.
The closing on the current real estate transaction is expected to happen on or before July 2022.
A site analysis is currently underway to determine the best size and type of construction for the land. Cost estimates for construction can then be calculated in order to arrive at a dollar amount for the bond issue to be presented to voters in April.
According to Youngblood, in addition to the bond for the construction of a new jail, a 1/2 cent sales tax increase will also appear on the ballot for voters’ consideration which will go toward enhancing law enforcement in Barry County, including raises for personnel and the hiring of additional employees for the prosecutor’s office.
