County accepts initial proposal to purchase property

by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor

Traditionally, county business has been conducted in Courthouse Square in downtown Rogers City for about 130 years. If a proposal to purchase three parcels across East Huron Avenue goes through, not only will it spit in the face of tradition, it would expand the courthouse complex beyond the entire city block it has known as its home for more than a century. By unanimous vote January 9, members of the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners accepted an offer from the owners of Nowicki?s Sausage Shoppe and will proceed with the formation of a formal purchase agreement. Commissioner Mike Darga was not in attendance for the meeting.

Philip J. Nowicki, III and Michelle R. Nowicki offered the county the building and parking lot on the corner of North Third Street and East Huron, a two-story house and the parcel it sits on, as well as a lot across the alley. The Nowickis were offering all three parcels for $210,000. IN A LETTER dated December 19, the proposed agreement states that the county will pay $110,000 upon signing of a purchase agreement and the rest ($100,000) April 30. The owners would retain possession of the property until April 30, but want to remain in the home rent-free until June 30. They also would like the county to be responsible for paying the 2008 taxes. Board members asked prosecutor Rick Steiger to come up with terms and conditions for a purchase agreement. Steiger said he would try and have it by the final meeting of the month.

?It is a piece of property we can use,? said chairman Allan Bruder. ?There?s a piece of property that runs on the east side of that alley that would make a dandy parking lot, where we probably can put, I?m thinking, 40 cars in it. We could put the cars at somewhat of an angle.? He said the lot would offer ingress and egress for vehicle traffic. Bruder said court days are busy at the facility with people routinely parking on the other side of the street. The chairman also confirmed with the city that there are no zoning issues with establishing a parking lot where the house is located, or in the lot across the alley. ?The second thing is the building that is involved in this would give us some room for overflow,? said Bruder. ?In our upstairs (third floor), we have people stacked in like sardines. ?Some offices could be moved into that building (Nowicki?s building) sometime in the near future. It would lighten the load in the courthouse and make the courthouse a little more useable.? Bruder also believes it would enhance the county?s property.

?THE HO– USE could be sold and have someone move it off the property,? said Bruder at the meeting, ?and that would be another spot for a little more parking.? Commissioner Carl Altman asked that a stipulation be placed in the purchase agreement that will make sure the buildings are not left a mess. Altman was told the county could withhold 10 percent until a final inspection takes place. Commissioner Bob Schell said ?It is not a bad price for the building, the house, the additional property across the alley. It is a reasonable price for something located on main street. I don?t

see a problem if we?ve got the money. We certainly need the space. We need the additional parking.? ?I was thinking,? commissioner Stephen Lang added, ?when I pull into my parking lot, I pull in to the very last place. It would be interesting to see if we can get the employees to park in the far lot so the people using the building can park close. That would be a nice thing.? A firm from Gaylord already has tested soil borings and the site is clean. In business since 1917, Nowicki?s has been making homemade specialties for five generations. In 1979, they created the world?s largest sausage, totaling 8,773 feet.

The storefront remains closed until late March, while the Phil and Michelle attend different shows and events in the state. For a current special listed on the website, of which orders are only accepted on the phone, it states ?this may be the last sausage special at Rogers City location.? Michelle?s son, Brian Peterson, and business partner Greg Kuchinski, who have been running the store, are looking at relocating the business to Birch Run under the Nowicki?s name.

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