O'Toole property returns to city ownership

It now appears likely that Le Mars's O'Toole Park has the opportunity to welcome back a temporarily absent "neighbor" -- the property that was previously the site of the old water reservoir.

Al and Rosalie Lade, Le Mars, who purchased the property from the city last winter for the site of a new home, have now sold the property back to the city. Le Mars City Council members approved the buy-back at $22,500, an amount $2,500 under the Lade's earlier purchase price. The difference represents city-incurred costs for the sale of the property to the Lades.

Council members at the same time agreed to take the property, earlier described as unneeded, off the market and to consider at some future point adding the land to the adjacent O'Toole Park.

Council John Rexwinkel has long championed the city's use of the property in this way as a way of preserving additional park land for the city.

The Lades' decision to return the property came following what Roger Athens, the city's appointed realtor handing the sale, the city's "miscommunication" with the Lades over the availability of water and sewer lines on the property. Those lines are currently not available there.

The situation had generated considerable discussion among council members at their May 20 session.