PELL CITY – Mayor Bill Hereford told about 40 people at Tuesday night’s public hearing that he wants the city to buy all the Avondale Mills property.

“I want it so bad I can taste it,” he said.

Hereford said he’s been negotiating for the purchase of the 28-acre Avondale Mills plant site between U.S. 78 and Cogswell Avenue, the one acre well site along U.S. 231, and other former Avondale Mills property now owned by Pell City-Tifton Properties, LLC, for one year.

“We have had a tough negotiating year,” Hereford said. “They will sell us the plant site and well for $2.2 million.”

He said the company’s claim against the city, the money it says the city owes the company for the use of its well, will be dropped and the well condemnation case pending in St. Clair County Circuit Court would essentially be dropped.

At last night’s hearing, the Pell City Library Board presented a resolution it adopted unanimously Monday in support of the city purchasing the old Avondale Mills property for the new library site.

“I haven’t heard of anyone opposed to the Avondale site as the new library site,” Hereford said.

The vast majority of people who attended last night’s public hearing were in favor of the city purchasing the old Avondale Mills plant site for the new library site.

Hereford said the city could buy all the old Avondale Mills property in Pell City for $2.47 million.

“I know $2 million is a lot of money,” he said. “But it’s not relative to money we borrowed for the sewer.”

The city recently borrowed $18 million to fix its sewer system problems, but the city will only have to pay back $12 million.

Hereford said the city has $1.25 million, half the money needed to buy the old Avondale Mills property.

He said the city has put up $750,000 in probate court that could be used to purchase the property. In addition, the city has a $250,000 grant it must use to acquire property for the new library or lose it, and the city has another $250,000 left from a 2006 bond issue.

Hereford said Pell City-Tifton Properties, LLC, offered to finance the rest of the money at 6-percent interest, but Metro Bank offered the city a loan for the property at a much better rate.

He said the city will not have to worry about a huge payment for the next two years.

“I think the next two years are going to be the toughest for Pell City,” Hereford said.

Hereford said he was going to ask the council to step up and support the purchase of the Avondale Mills plant property.

He did say the city would have to purchase the property “as is” so if there are any environmental problems, it would be the responsibility of the city to clean up.

Hereford told residents last night that he doesn’t believe there is any soil contamination on the old Avondale Mills plant site.

He said in the event there is, the city could tap into the “brownfield” grant money to help clean up the plant site.

Hereford said the Alabama Department of Environmental Management has done Phase I testing of the soil at the Avondale Mills site and could do further testing at no cost to the city.

“I’m ready to buy this property,” he said. “If there is an environmental problem, I think it will be minimal.”

Most residents at last night’s meeting supported the purchase of the Avondale Mills property, although some residents questioned why soil samples from the plant site could not be taken and tested before the actual purchase of the property.

One resident said he supported a new library, but believed the city was paying too much for the property at a time city officials have clamored about hard economic times.

Pell City resident Claire Powell said the property and new library was vital to the future of Pell City.

“I think we need this for the health and prosperity of the city,” she said.

Powell’s husband, Holland, said if the city bought the Avondale Mills property it could control the property’s future and select what is built around the new library.

Former City Councilman J.T. Carter voiced his support for the purchase of the old Avondale Mills property.

“As long as you can meet your debt service, I think it’s a good ideal,” he said.

Councilman Greg Gossett said he opposed using bond money to pay for the property.

He said the 2006 bond money was earmarked to fix the sewer system, not buy property.

“That bothers me,” he said.

Gossett said he doesn’t believe the city needs to buy all of the old Avondale Mills property, but he would like the city to buy the well site, plant site and the Avondale Mills property where the old junior high school was located.

He also warned that even if the city bought the old Avondale Mills property, it could be years before the city is in a financial position to build a new library.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing,” said Councilwoman Dot Wood. “But, how are we going to pay for it? We need police cars right now. We need a fire truck right now.”

Councilman Donnie Guinn said he supported a new library, but said city revenue is down.

“I think this is something this community has needed for a long time,” Guinn said. “I want to see the return on our investment, especially if we are buying it all.”

Hereford said the council will take up the Avondale Mills property purchase at its 4 p.m., Thursday, work session.

He said the city would close on the property within 30 days once the council approves the purchase. The council could vote on the purchase of the property at next Monday’s council meeting.