The Parkersburg Urban Renewal Authority voted 6-2 this week to purchase 1129 19th St., shown Friday, and two neighboring residential properties for the appraised fair market value of $129,000, minus fees and judgments owed to the city. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

PARKERSBURG — An offer has been made by the Parkersburg Urban Renewal Authority to buy multiple buildings at the corner of 19th Street and Dudley Avenue, with most of them likely to be demolished.

That includes 1129 19th St., where Runyon Lock Service continues to operate. A manager said the business was planning to move due to the condition of the building even before the vote on the properties was taken during Tuesday’s URA meeting at the Municipal Building.

“The city’s not going to rush Runyon at all,” City Planner Connor LaVelle said.

The authority, which consists of all nine Parkersburg City Council members, voted 6-2, with Councilwoman Wendy Tuck and Councilman J.R. Carpenter opposed and Councilman Mike Reynolds out of the room, to purchase 1129 19th St. and residential structures at 1907/1913 Dudley Ave. for the appraised fair market value of $129,000, minus fees and liens owed to the city. That dropped the price to $123,532.18 in January, when the URA tabled the issue. The new amount had not been calculated as of Friday.

The URA voted 7-2 to bring the issue off the table during a longer-than-usual meeting Tuesday evening. Carpenter said the owner should sell the buildings on his own instead of the city buying them.

Parkersburg Urban Renewal Authority Chairwoman Sharon Kuhl spoke during Tuesday’s Urban Renewal Authority meeting at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

“We’re not using the words eminent domain, so why are we on fair market price?” he said. “Whatever offer he gets privately is all he can get out of it.”

LaVelle said fair market value, as determined by an appraiser, is the standard way the city determines what to offer for a property.

Tuck made a motion to offer $80,000 for the properties, but it died for lack of a second.

During a public hearing on the proposal, Parkersburg resident Deidre Prince questioned the desire to demolish the buildings, saying she believed at least the houses could be refurbished and she would be interested in purchasing them from the owner.

“I do think they need to go on the open market and get them rehabbed and put them back out,” she said.

Runyon Lock Service shop tech Isea Dillon worked on a lock at the business Friday. Runyon is planning to move from its 19th Street location to the 1700 block of St. Marys Avenue in Parkersburg. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

At the January meeting, Code Director Andy Nestor said owner Dorr Casto III was not able to correct the problems with the structures.

Council President Sharon Kuhl, who serves as the URA chairwoman, said she expects at least the commercial building to be demolished, as are most structures acquired by the authority to alleviate slum and blight.

“It needs a new roof. The bricks are falling off of it,” she said. “It’s going to come down.”

LaVelle said the offer will be officially communicated to Casto with a copy of the meeting’s minutes, but he has been informally notified.

Jackie Hileman, manager of Runyon Lock Service, said the business is preparing to move to 1739 St. Marys Ave., the former location of the League Room. She hopes to be fully moved in by May.

Locket, the shop mascot for Runyon Lock Service, walked along a table at the Parkersburg business Friday afternoon. Runyon will move from its 19th Street location to the 1700 block of St. Marys Avenue in the coming months. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

In other business, the authority voted 6-3, with Tuck, Carpenter and Reynolds opposed, to amend its rules to allow the chairwoman to appoint a subcommittee of two members and two ad hoc representatives from the administration to review potential sales or purchases and make recommendations to the full URA.

LaVelle said the idea is to give the authority a “stronger background” by having some of its members be involved in the early stages of a potential acquisition. A subcommittee recommendation would be added to the staff report members receive, though it would be non-binding.

“It’s not a decision-making body,” LaVelle said.

Tuck said she wanted more information about what the subcommittee’s duties and responsibilities are and questioned getting the perspective of only two members versus the full body. Kuhl said everyone would still get to discuss and vote on proposed acquisitions or sales.

Carpenter asked if it would be used for every potential acquisition. Kuhl said it would be decided by the chair.

Kuhl said Friday she will announce the membership of the committee at a URA meeting this month.

The authority accepted the donations of three properties — 1107 Pike St., 702/704 13th St. and 915 26th St. — on 8-0 votes, with Reynolds absent.

Another 8-0 vote accepted an offer from Dennis Workman to purchase a vacant URA lot at 915 26th St. for $1,000. He plans to build a house or duplex on it, officials said, and the URA included a stipulation that construction must be completed within two years.

An offer to purchase a lot at 1328 Latrobe St. for $500 by neighbor Donald Graham Jr. was accepted on a 9-0 vote, including Reynolds. Graham said he wants to add off-street parking and a small garden there.

The URA voted 8-1 against accepting an offer to purchase 609 Charles St. for $1,000 for a yard extension for off-street parking. Members pointed to a neighboring lot, which the URA does not own, and said someone might want to purchase the two lots and build on them. Only Councilman Zach Stanley voted in favor.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.