BID ON HOUSING DEVELOPMENT COULD BE AWARDED NEXT MONTH

JEREMY WALTNER  – PUBLISHER

Meeting in special session Friday afternoon, Sept. 3, the Freeman City Council voted to advertise for bids for the infrastructure of the Westward View housing development that will be built just off Cedar Street west of the city’s water tower.

Doug Uecker, city finance officer, said the hope is to award the bid at the council’s first meeting of October, on Oct. 5, so that site prep can begin yet this fall. That will include ground preparation and utility hookups. The site would then sit idle over the winter months, with the construction of streets and curb and gutter next spring.

Meanwhile, the lots will be for sale beginning this week, with interested parties asked to contact Carol Eisenbeis, the city’s marketing and development director, at 605-925-4444. The lots range in size from about a half-acre (27,266 square feet) to well over an acre (51,749 square feet) and in price from $30,000 to $50,000. Those purchasing lots will have two years to build from when the street work is completed.

The new housing development sits on a 14-acre tract of land and is being developed through a partnership between the Freeman Growth Foundation (FGF), Freeman Community Development Corporation (FCDC) and city of Freeman. Earlier this year, the FGF gifted funds to the FCDC for the purchase of the property, with the understanding that the city would provide the infrastructure, including utilities.

The ground was annexed into city limits this year and is the highest elevation within the municipality.

According to the marketing materials being used by the city, “Edged by idyllic farm fields and a wooden stretch trailing the former rail line, this property provides the perfect opportunity to experience the serenity of nature, while enjoying privacy and handy access to city amenities.”