The Grand Forks Baptist Church wants to buy the property they’ve been leasing from the city for the past 11 years. The building at 7850 2nd Street used to be the Wildlife Hall.
In a letter to council this week, the church wrote that it has been their “distinct privilege” to use the space. They said over the past decade they have invested more than $150,000 into the building to bring it back up to code and upgrade the facilities to meet their needs.
The city has also spent money to keep the mechanical systems up to scratch. The property has an assessed value of about $360,000.
The church says if does acquire the building, it would want to ensure the city has a right-of-way so the community can continue to access the Observation Mountain trail and parking area.
Council decided to ask the church for a formal offer.
“Anything is of interest,” said councillor Neil Krog. “We could look at it depending on their offer and what we would accept. But I do like the concept that the usage right-of-way is included, allowing the city and community to still use the trail and the area.”
