March 29, 2024

Supervisors accept $40K bid from Goldfinch Growth

Former county garage building on path to become restaurant, bar

Newton is one step closer to having an upscale restaurant or bar in the downtown district.

Four weeks after Goldfinch Growth proposed its idea to purchase and convert a Jasper County-owned building into a food or drink service establishment, the local real estate development company’s $40,000 bid was accepted by the board of supervisors after a public hearing Tuesday.

The Jasper County Board of Supervisors received only one bid for the property at 115 W. Second St. S., which was from Goldfinch Growth co-owners Bryan Friedman and Natalie Umsted. The board accepted the bid, contingent that some details be worked out at a later date with both parties’ respected attorneys.

The property currently has two buildings on the same parcel of land. However, the real estate development company is only interested in the southernmost structure, the historic Jasper County garage building.

Board member Joe Brock said the Goldfinch Growth bid was a fair offer. In the weeks leading up to the public hearing, Brock told Friedman and Umsted he has heard positive feedback from residents.

“Excellent feedback from the community on this project,” Brock said. “Guess you folks are ready to move ahead with it.”

Umsted replied, “We’ve been working with Main Street to finalize the Challenge Grant … This step of getting into a purchase agreement is probably the most key step in having that together at this point. We really feel excited to move forward with this project. We think it can add a lot to the aesthetic, the vibrancy of this downtown.”

On Monday, Newton Main Street received the city’s endorsement to submit its application for the Main Street Challenge Grant. The grant awards between $15,000 to $75,000 annually for projects nominated by the area Main Street organizations in any of the 54 program-supported communities in Iowa.

The deadline for the Challenge Grant is Friday, so a purchase agreement of the property is necessary in order for Newton Main Street to move forward in the application process. However, Newton Main Street Executive Director Graham Sullivan told the Jasper County Board of Supervisors a signed letter of intent will suffice.

“It would be awesome if we could get (a purchase agreement), but if we can’t get that figured out by Friday, at least (a letter of intent) shows you guys are moving forward with it but didn’t have time to work out the details,” Sullivan said.

The board agreed to meet with Goldfinch Growth on Friday to discuss further details.

At the Newton City Council meeting, Friedman clarified Goldfinch Growth does not currently have a tenant to occupy the newly acquired space.

In other action Tuesday, the supervisors:

• Extended a county farm lease with Dean Van Kooten for another three years. Board member Joe Brock praised Van Kooten’s reputation as a dependable tenant.

“When Dean (Van Kooten) came, he immediately started a lime and fertilizer program and grid mapped the whole farm for the fertilizer and lime needs,” Brock said. “The farm really looks great.”

• Approved the hiring of Brad Sheeder as deputy sheriff for three years at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty also sought the board’s approval to implement a Deputy Training Liability Contract.

“Most agencies will have a new hire sign some sort of training liability agreement if they’ve not been certified by the academy,” Halferty said. “They will make them sign a certain contract listing the amount or cost of getting them certified and requiring them to spend a certain amount of time at that department. Usually it’s around four years.”

Sheeder had an existing contract with the Newton Police Department. Halferty said the sheriff’s office would like to pay 75 percent of his existing contract, about $5,645.38, leaving Sheeder in charge of the remaining 25 percent.

“So we’re paying about 20 percent of what it would cost to train a new person,” Halferty added.

• Approved a suspension of taxes requested by Jasper County Treasurer Doug Bishop. Only five items were listed, totaling $3,342. Bishop said the list was down substantially from last year. The board also approved a cancellation of checks, presented by Bishop. Four checks — amounts of $310, $23, $15 and $10 — were presented to the board.

“Pretty simple,” he said. “We sent them all letters, tried tracking them down. We send out several letters. We’re down to just a handful of them so I would ask that you approve the cancellation of those checks for the auditor’s purposes.

• Reached an informal agreement with Rick Koontz, general manager of the newly opened Pit Row Bar & Grill, to allow his employees to use parking spaces in the adjacent Jasper County Community Center.

• Approved the Newton Booster Club’s request to use the courthouse lawn on the northwest corner for the Newton High School Homecoming Parade on Sept. 20. Tables will be set up and used for selling food and merchandise.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com