City sells small parcel to Village Corner owner

by Peter Jakey-Managing Editor

Members of the Onaway City Commission approved the sale of a small parcel of property to businessman Tom Janes, which is expected to be used for the expansion of the Village Corner gas station/convenience store at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Michigan Avenue. The vote to sell it for $475 was unanimous by the commission.

Janes expressed interest in purchasing the small strip of property, which extends along a piece he recently purchased from Tom Moran.

The entire strip is 389 feet deep and 22 feet wide.

The city sold the southern 167 feet to Janes for $400 in January 1999, with an ingress/egress easement provided to the Onaway Motel.

Janes was interested in the remaining 222 feet. He would like to improve traffic flow through his lot and possibly add additional pumps.

The owner of the adjac

ent Onaway Motel attended the Dec. 2 commission meeting and said she was not opposed to the sale.

City manager Joe Hefele said he would like to install new water services to Statewide Real Estate, Village Corner and the Onaway Motel as part of the project.

At the current time, all three are served by privately installed plastic main.

The line has leaked multiple times in the past and, because the city did not install it, they have no record as to where anything is. “Because it is plastic, we also cannot trace it,” stated Hefele in his Jan. 6 manager’s report.