Council ponders Town Hall purchase options, downtown revitalization & cable franchise agreement

At its Monday, May 20 work session the Front Royal Town Council was briefed on progress with downtown revitalization related to its $700,000 matching State Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding; options in extending a first right to match a sales price on the old Town Hall building; and future goals including positive movement on initial enforcement options on a Property Maintenance Code and the status of continuing a lapsed cable franchise agreement with Comcast.

On that last front Town Manager Joe Waltz told council Comcast was holding fast to its plan to close its customer service center on the first block of North Royal Avenue – “They won’t give us any more relief on the customer service center,” Waltz said in response to a question about the Town’s desire to keep the center open to facilitate the amount of cash and face-to-face business done there locally.

Waltz also noted that the Town’s franchise agreement with Comcast was “dead” leaving options to negotiate with another provider. Coincidentally perhaps, a franchise agreement was on the agenda for a closed session at the end of the work session.

During discussion of progress on downtown revitalization with CDBG funding it was noted that parking statistics included in a report on downtown business indicated that available public parking downtown, other than during festival street closings, was virtually never above 70% of capacity.

After initial expressions of skepticism on extending the first right to match a purchase price on the old Town Hall, it was decided to inquire of owner Afton Inn LLC (former Afton Inn owner Frank Barros’s company) about that extension.

It was noted that while the current listed purchase price of $759,000 was higher than the Town would ever pay, that price could come down significantly in the future. Asked how much it would cost to pursue an extension of the Town’s first option right which expires in June, Town Attorney Doug Napier replied, “The cost of a postage stamp.”

That price was good enough to turn council around on at least an inquiry on the extension from the reclusive owner.

Councilwoman Letasha Thompson also asked her colleagues to resurrect discussion with the County about providing some building department support to initiate at least first stage Property Maintenance Code complaints on dilapidated or other structures.

See those work session discussions on the Royal Examiner video: