La Grange Park Trustees Offer $8000 for Post Office Lease Buyout

La Grange Park trustees continued their discussion of a proposed at a Sept. 13 village board workshop meeting.

In August, the local branch of the post office offered the village $6,000 to settle a lease on a parking lot they were renting, but no longer needed. Trustees discussed the buyout at an August villlage board workshop meeting, but ended up voting against accpeting the $6000 buyout, and asked post office representatives to put their offer in writing.

The parking lot is currently rented to the post office for $291.67 per month, with its terms ending on May 31, 2014. With 33 payments remaining, the post office would be on the hook for $9,625.11.

Post office representatives have said that ending the lease has nothing to do with whether or not the . They have not used the lot since delivary services were moved to the post office branch in La Grange and are looking to save money, they said.

According to Julius Hansen, public works director, the asphalt on the lot will need to be replaced once the lease is terminated. The village solicited bids for the work, with the lowest coming back at $7,960.

"I would hate to just go ahead and accept their $6,000 [offer]," Trustee Susan Storcel said. "I'm reccomending we enter negotiations."

Trustee Marshall Seeder suggested that the village offer the post office two options: they could do the repavement of the lot to village specifications, or they could offer an $8,000 buyout to cover the costs.

"We should at least be able to recover our costs," President Jim Discipio said. "We're not in the best shape where we can give everyone a break. Either $8,0000 to cover the cost, of they do the project themselves."

The suggestion of an in-kind offer split the board slightly. Trustee Patricia Rocco said she felt more comfortable with taking the money, instead of having the post office do the work. Trustee Scott Mesick agree.

"I think we're over thinking ourselves here," Mesick said, and added he didn't feel the post office would accept that offer, and prefered to just ask for $8,000 to buyout the lease.

In the end, trustees voted 3-2 to approve the motion to offer an $8,000 cash buyout, or for the post office to preform the required work themselves. Trustees Rocco and Mesick voted against. Trustee Rimas Kozica was absent.