Legion looks for more parking

MARENGO — Now that the new American Legion hall is completed on North Court Avenue, Legion officials want to alter its agreement with Iowa County to return adjacent county property to its previous state of grass and gravel.

The Legion wants to improve the property and use it for parking, said Jim Johnson. Supervisors are more inclined to sell the property outright to avoid maintenance and liability.

An increase in Bingo attendance makes additional parking necessary, said Johnson, and the Legion will be a polling place during elections.

Supervisor Abigail Maas said that as a Bingo participant, she agrees. The Legion could use more parking.

The property in question is just north of the Legion parking lot, where the paving ends. “We would like to rock that out 25 feet,” said Tom Voigtman of Tom Voigtman Construction.

“People are parking there right now,” said Voigtman. “We’re putting it back better than when we got there.”

At the time the Legion planned the building, it thought it would have enough parking, said Voigtman. That hasn’t been the case.

The Legion hasn’t voted on the proposal, said Voigtman. He wanted to get feedback from supervisors first.

Supervisor Chairman Kevin Heitshusen said he’s concerned about creating precedence. “What kind of can of worms are we opening up?”

If the Legion can use county property for parking, the county would have to grant it for other neighbors of county properties.

“We’re not saying that people can use it,” said Johnson, but people are already using it.

Another solution would be to sell the property to the Legion, Johnson said.

“I would almost rather see us do that,” said Heitshusen. “It is a piece of property we don’t really utilize.”

According to County Building Maintenance Director Dylan Healey, the county pushes snow onto the lots when it plows, said Voightman.

“I agree with Kevin that that would be the best option,” said Johnson. Selling the land to the Legion would eliminate the need for county maintenance.

And county liability, Heitshusen said.

The Legion wouldn’t want to buy the entire two lots, said Johnson. Only the south half of them.

Supervisors said they’d talk to their attorney about selling and would check with the City of Marengo about rules for splitting lots. If that won’t work, the county could enter into an agreement with the Legion to assume responsibility for maintenance and liability associated with the lots.