Nine months after it tore up the road commonly called “Forsythe Street,” TanStone Group, LLC appears to have purchased it, from the city of Branson for one dollar even though there was another bid offering $100 thousand for the same property. On or about July 3 the city of Branson published a notice “soliciting sealed proposals for the sale of real property commonly known as ‘Forsythe Street.’” The property being sold was the property upon which Forsythe Street had been formerly located prior to its destruction by TanStone.
A primary condition of the solicitation provided, “The best responsible bidder shall include as part of its proposal title in a form acceptable to the City for an alternate street right-of-way that provides equal or better street connectivity in the Branson street network in that area of the city (the ‘Alternate Alignment’.)” Only two bids were received by the required 2:00 p.m. deadline on Tuesday, July 15, one from The TanStone Group LLC and the other from Patobin Enterprises.
The TanStone proposal, in total said, “Mr. Miller, Per your request for proposal for the sale of the ‘Forsythe Street’ property, TanStone Group, LLC would like to submit a bid of one dollar ($1.00). As per the terms and conditions of sale, please find the attached right away exhibit that provides a better ‘Alternate Alignment’. Kind regards, Chris DeJohn, The TanStone Group, LLC.”
The Patobin proposal proposed a purchase price of $100,000 and provided an “Alternate Alignment” starting at the junction of Green Mountain Drive and heading north along a 50 foot easement of Patobin property across a 40 foot access easement that Patobin has from TanStone to an intersection with Oak Creek Drive. From that point connectivity to Roark Valley Road, to the north, would be via Oak Creek Drive east to its junction with Forsyth Street.
The Patobin proposal said, “This will allow an alternate street right-of-way-that provides better street connectivity in the Branson street network in that area of the city. Alignment with Green Mountain Drive will allow the placement of traffic signals on Highway 76 as had been the desired configuration previously announced by the city. The Alternate Alignment will also ensure access from the remaining property owned by Patobin Enterprises.”
In introducing the proposal at the July 22 work session meeting of the Branson Board of Aldermen, City Engineer David Miller said that the main provision was “The responsible bidder shall submit a title to the city for an alternate street right of way that provides equal or better street connectivity in the city’s overall street system. So, in effect, we wanted an alternate road. We didn’t say anything about price or anything. That was a term or condition of sale; a new road.”
Miller went on to point out that they had received two proposals. He said, “One from TanStone Group for the new road that they are building” and a second proposing a road along the west side of the waterslide property. Miller went on to say the problem with the second proposal was, “It went down and would tie into Oak Creek Drive which does not exist, so technically it did not meet the terms and conditions because there is no through road to tie into because TanStone hasn’t given us that right of way.”
Miller said the bid also included a $100,000 but the bid did not ask for money, staff considered the bid unqualified and recommended the TanStone proposal. In a telephone interview on July 25, Stephen Bradford, the attorney for Patobin Enterprises, Inc. disagreed with the determination that the bid was unqualified and said, “I believe that the bid met all the requirements of city’s solicitation.”
The Board of Aldermen is scheduled to take formal action on accepting the TanStone proposal at its next meeting at 7:00 p.m. July 28.
Reprinted with permission of the Tri-Lakes Tribune, a free newspaper published and distributed three times weekly, Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Please call 417-336-NEWS (6397) for classified and display advertising opportunities.
