ADRIAN — A historic home with ties to a family that had a major impact on Adrian’s development was recently bequeathed to the city upon its owner’s death.

After several auctions to sell off personal property inside the house, the home at 411 S. Main St. was deeded to the city from the estate of Thomas Hood in late December.

The house’s significance to the city is not just because of its age, but because it was the home of prominent Adrian couple Harry and Harriet Kimball Fee. Harry Fee was the creator of Hidden Lake Gardens, and Harriet, upon her death, created an endowment that continues to fund the beautification and upkeep of Adrian’s city parks to this day.

Adrian city commissioners discussed the house at their Jan. 21 meeting.

City administrator Greg Elliott told commissioners that the estate put a new roof on the house before deeding it to the city, so it is watertight and secure. At the same time, he said, while the house is structurally sound, it needs a lot of work before it could be considered habitable.

“It will be expensive to restore it to a condition where someone would want to live in it,” Elliott said.

Elliott said that while he doesn’t see any benefit to the city in continuing to own the house, its historic significance is a reason to not treat it like just another piece of property.

“It’s an important historic house in the city and I think we would want to see it properly restored,” he said.

Elliott suggested that the city seek proposals from people or companies interested in buying the house and fixing it up — with the stipulation that if the buyer doesn’t do the work, the property would go back to the city.

The question the city commission needs to answer, he said, is “are we more interested in getting the highest dollar return, or are we more interested in seeing it restored in the way we want to see it restored?”

City commissioner Mary Roberts agreed.

“What we don’t want,” she said, “is someone to come in and purchase it and just sit on it for five years and do nothing.”

In other news from the Adrian City Commission’s Jan. 21 meeting:

Dissatisfaction over closed session: A closed session became a point of contention. The agenda called for the city to go into closed session to discuss an opinion from the city attorney, but commissioners initially rejected the closed session, with commissioners Bob Behnke and Mary Roberts voting yes, and commissioners Kelly Castleberry, Gordon Gauss, Doug Miller and Matthew Schwartz and Mayor Angie Sword Heath voting no. Elliott then said that without the closed session, he could not discuss the city attorney’s opinion with the commission.

Gauss said the agenda item was not what he, two other commissioners and the mayor had asked for.

“We directed you to put on the agenda a discussion of a specific position, community development director, and the communications and marketing coordinator position,” he said. “That’s what we asked for. That’s not what’s on the agenda.”

Elliott replied, “Both of those are subsumed under the title that we put on the agenda, and we have legal analysis to assist you in that discussion. I can’t share it with you in an open meeting.”

City attorney Burke Castleberry said his opinion contained confidential and sensitive information.

Several commissioners expressed frustration with the discussion, but after a debate they ultimately agreed to go into closed session.

“I do not like to go into closed session if I don’t have to. I think that construes mistrust to our constituents,” Kelly Castleberry said. 

“I have no idea how we got to this point,” she added. “I am incredibly frustrated. That being said, I would make a motion to go into closed session and review this opinion because I do not want to hold up progress for our community either.”

In the second vote, all commissioners except Schwartz agreed to go into closed session.

No action was taken when the commission returned to open session.

Generally speaking, city councils and other governing bodies in Michigan are required to deliberate in public, but the law does allow some exceptions. Those include discussion of collective bargaining negotiations, considering the purchase of real estate, discussing some personnel matters, and some consultations with an attorney. 

Public bodies are not allowed to take any votes in closed session; any action must be taken in open session.

Downtown development plan and TIF district: A public hearing on the city’s downtown development plan and extension of the downtown Tax Increment Financing district will take place during the Feb. 17 commission meeting.

Jane Dixon, principal planner with the consulting firm McKenna, spoke to the commission on both topics.

The TIF district is a funding mechanism in which increased tax revenue from new development in an area is captured to be used for improvement projects in that area. 

Behnke noted that the tax capture does not affect Adrian Public Schools, the Lenawee Intermediate School District, or the Adrian District Library, and this will remain the same if the TIF plan is extended.

Dixon confirmed, “It will just be maintaining what already exists in terms of a tax capture.”

The proposed development plan can be read by going here, then opening the agenda packet for the Jan. 21 meeting.

DDA appointment: The city commission voted to appoint Carrie Dillon to the Downtown Development Authority Board.

Support for SBWI: The city commission passed a resolution in support of the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute’s plans for enrollment growth, and another recognizing SBWI as an institution of higher education.

Public comment: The commission heard complaints from residents about an unresolved water leak at the intersection of Chestnut and Elm streets.