City to look at donating Rashid building to Food Pantry

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - City officials are considering donating the former Idol Rashid Library building to the Fort Madison Food Pantry.

The building is currently the home of the pantry, as well as the Fort Madison office of the United Way of the Great River Region, but it is city property donated to the city by the Rashid family.

City Manager David Varley indicated that he has had conversations with the regional Head Start program about possibly purchasing the building. According to Varley, DuPont had actually offered to add on to the building for the Head Start program, plus build a playground on adjacent land.

Varley told the council Tuesday the Head Start program has different personnel in place now and is no longer interested in the building. However, in the past 48 hours Varley said a private business entity out of Keokuk saw the city was looking at selling the property and had interest.

"The discussion tonight is what to do with it and the reason for asking is the city is kind of land and building rich, but cash poor and we're trying to divest ourselves of some buildings we don't use to avoid future costs," he said.

He said since the city is not using the building it doesn't make any sense to keep maintaining a building it doesn't get any use out of.

The building was on the market a number of years ago and the city got one bid that wasn't high enough and the city didn't accept it.

He said they would have to have permission from the Rashid family to sell the property, as well as agree that anyone owning the property would have to keep the memorial sign in the building that indicates it's the Idol Rashid Memorial Building.

Councilman Matt Mohrfeld said his vision would be to turn the facility over to the pantry.

"The fact is that it was given as a community building and it's my vision that it stay that way," Mohrfeld said.

"I say we take that property, deed it over to the food pantry under a couple of stipulations."

He said the city should use its strength to help the pantry raise about $125,000 to improve the building. He said investing the value of the building into the Food pantry might help them get additional grants.

Mohrfeld said this would keep the building as a civil building and, as far as a private business, there are other good places in Fort Madison for a business who wants to locate in Fort Madison to go.

"I think this is a unique opportunity to do something good that makes the town look a little better," he said.

"I was told once that the judge of a community is how well they take care of the weakest of their people, and the food pantry is the epitome of that. So my suggestion....give it to em."

Councilman Chad Cangas said he'd like to know more about any businesses that might be interested in buying the building before making any decisions.

Lin Cramer, the chairman of the Food Pantry board said the pantry would still offer the United Way an agreement where they might contribute to utilities or that kind of arrangement.

Mayor Brad Randolph said he was concerned that the building and the operations inside stay sustainable and said it made sense to look at donating the building.

Councilman Mark Lair said the city should be careful in what they are offering to some and not to others.

"I assume the head start people are not interested at all? Are they going to come back and say you didn't offer us this deal you are offering them," Lair said.

Varley said the new personnel at Head Start said the building wasn't large enough so he didn't envision them coming back to the table.

fort madison, Idol Rashid building, iowa, North Lee County Food Pantry, Pen City Current, United Way of the Great River Region

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