New subdivisions on their way, grant OK'd to help city buy building for Food Pantry that would also house a senior center

It was another night of progress for the City of Prescott, as housing plans are taking root, and it appears the city is helping its food pantry with a permanent home that could feature a senior center in the other half of the building.

There’s somewhat of a housing explosion going on in the City of Prescott, and two more developments will have homes sprouting soon.

The Prescott City Council Monday night gave West Ridge Estates the final OK, and a preliminary plat of the second phase of the Great Rivers subdivision.

West Ridge, at the end of Ash Street and Linden Road, will have 13 single-family lots. Great Rivers, along 570th (Hollister) Avenue, will have 50 lots.

Last year, the Palmetto planned unit development was approved, with 60 lots, 22 of which are single family with 38 twin homes. Construction is underway there, and building permits are currently being issued for the subdivision, City Administrator Jayne Brand said.

Also, the Heart Development, 445 Court Street, is under construction and will have 15 memory care units and 22 assisted living units.

It’s been a busy year for city staff, along with plan commission and city council members.

The Great Rivers development will also feature a 12-acre public park with parking for 10 vehicles off of Hollister. Mayor David Hovel has said he’d like to see one sidewalk on one side of one of the development streets to lead to the park.

City council member Bailey Ruona said a Parks and Public Property Committee meeting will be held in coming weeks, and the park and trail system proposed to lead to Freedom Park will be discussed.

Prescott Food Pantry The city council approved spending $6,500 to put together a Community Development Block Grant to help with the purchase of the building the Prescott Food Pantry occupies at 911 Pearl St. across from the River Heights Motel.

“A some of you may be aware, the building which houses the Prescott Food Shelf is currently for sale,” Brand wrote in a memo to the council. “ The Food Shelf has made significant improvements in the building to add approximately $50,000 in new refrigeration improvements. Pete French, Director for the Food Shelf, approached the mayor and city staff to see if there was some way in which the city could help to purchase the building and the surrounding land which is also for sale.”

Brand said government bodies can apply for Community Development Block Grants for Coronavirus through the state. The city has been invited to submit a full application for the food pantry grant funding.

The amount the city approved will go to its engineering firm, Cedar Corporation, for writing the grant.

“The discussions have been that a portion of this building will be used for daily meals for the senior citizens and can be the new gathering place for seniors,” Brand said.

The Prescott Senior Gathering Place has been housed at Malone Intermediate School but has been closed since the start of the pandemic shut down school facilities in spring.

Under the plan the city would own the building and lease it back to the Prescott Food Pantry. After five years, the food pantry could buy the building from the city.

The building would be purchased and plans would also be to expand and remodel the food pantry and build a senior center kitchen, and the senior center would move from the Malone Intermediate School.

“When the pandemic initially hit, the school was forced to shut down, along with the senior center. Since then, the school has reopened, however the center has not reopened because of the concern with seniors being near students. Therefore, there is no longer a location to prepare hot meals for seniors and these residents are lacking a nutritious meal,” the city explanation to the state to qualify for the grant reads. “The city is proposing to construct a commercial style kitchen adjacent to the Food Pantry so that meals can be prepared and delivered to the local senior citizens. The plan is to prepare up to two meals per day, seven days per week for safe delivery to local senior citizens.”

“Also, in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Pantry has become more critical than ever,” the application states.

Food Pantry use is up 37 percent from a year ago.

An offer to purchase the building provided to the city council shows a purchase price of $349,000. The building is owned by P.M. Investments, Mike Hiniker.

The offer is contingent upon the city qualifying for the grant funding.