COMMISSIONERS DECLINE TO CLARIFY DEED
The planned sale of the Platte County Health Department building in Platte City has hit a bump in the road.
The building, which is located at 212 Marshall Road not far from Main Street, has been offered for sale by the health department for a while now and is currently under contract.
In the process of closing the sale, it was discovered the property on which the building sits is currently held in the name of “Platte County, Missouri, a political subdivision of the State of Missouri and its successors for the use and control of the Board of Health Center Trustees of Platte County, Missouri.”
At a meeting on Monday of this week, the Platte County Commission discussed the proposed clarification of the title to the property. The proposal called for clarifying that the property is held in the ownership of the Board of Health Center Trustees. But the authorization of the special warranty deed that would accomplish this task was met by opposition from two commissioners.
After discussion, county commissioners voted 2-1 to table the proposal while requesting some information from the health department.
Scott Fricker, who became presiding county commissioner on Jan. 1, said he “cannot in good conscience agree to give that property to the heath department without first getting some answers.”
Fricker said he wants the health department “to open their books and their meeting minutes and show us how and why this deal was put together from the very start. I’d like to know who advised them, and who made the decisions. How do current numbers compare to original projections.”
As first reported by The Landmark in the spring of 2020, the health department board of trustees had approved the purchase of a $1.9 million building that will become the new site of the department’s headquarters, consolidating staff at two current buildings into one location.
The department’s board of trustees finalized the purchase of a building at 7925 N.W. 110th St., Kansas City in Platte County, in mid-April of 2020, said Natalie Klaus, who at the time was Platte County Health Department public information officer.
The location is just off N. Ambassador Drive in Kansas City, east of I-29.
The health board approved using existing reserve funds for the purchase, the health department told the newspaper in 2020.
Health department officials announced at the time that the plan is to sell the department’s existing locations: the one in Platte City and also the health department building at 1201 East Street in Parkville.
The timing of the health department’s real estate purchase of the building on Ambassador Drive did not sit well with Fricker.
“In mid-April 2020, during the height of a global pandemic, the health department started speculating on commercial real estate. Despite owning two buildings, they decided to purchase a third building,” Fricker said Monday during the commission meeting.
“According to the Platte County Landmark, the purchase price was $1.9 million and they used existing reserve funds for the purchase. What’s worse, they did this before selling, or even having contracts on their other two buildings,” Fricker remarked. “And now, nearly three years after purchasing that third property, as they prepare to close on the sale of the Platte City property, the proceeds of which I’m sure are required to finance the new property, they discover that the county owns (the property),” Fricker continued.
In a conversation on Tuesday of this week, Fricker said the original deed shows the county purchased the property in 1959.
“That’s when (the county) bought the property, but we don’t know if there was a building on it at that time. I think that the building is not that old,” he told The Landmark Tuesday morning.
Health department officials in 2020 had indicated to The Landmark the Platte City building was constructed in 1970. But Aaron Smullin, current public information officer who was not on board with the health department at the time of that 2020 newspaper article, this week said the 1970 date doesn’t appear to be correct.
“Based on what I have, it looks like we occupied this building in 1960,” he said. “We purchased the land in April 1959 and occupied it in September 1960. I found an old newspaper article about it,” Smullin said Tuesday.
After Fricker had made comments during Monday’s commission meeting, Kevin Robinson, county auditor, stepped to the microphone to point out the health department, which is funded by its own tax levy, has always paid the costs of operations and improvements on the building. The county has not been financially responsible for any of those expenses through the years, Robinson pointed out.
Fricker and Dagmar Wood, first district county commissioner, voted to table the special warranty deed action. Joe Vanover, second district commissioner, voted against tabling the agenda item.
Vanover did not offer comments in regard to his no vote, and efforts to reach him on Tuesday were met with a message that he is out of the office until Feb. 17.
Last Friday, Feb. 3, The Landmark reached out to the health department about the pending sale of the Platte City building, including information about the potential buyer and purchase price.
On Monday, health department officials declined to discuss specifics. “It appears based on statutes, we are able to keep those records closed until the sale is complete. Releasing the information now could impact this transaction or other future ones. Once the sale is complete, it will be advised that the board makes the transaction an open record,” said Smullen, the public information officer for the health department.
Asked if anyone from the health department has a response to Fricker’s remarks at Monday’s commission meeting, Smullin responded with a quote from Andrew Warlen, who took over as director of the Platte County Health Department on Jan. 1, 2022, replacing the retired Mary Jo Vernon:
“We are aware of the comments made during the Platte County commissioners’ meeting. We are hopeful to work with our county partners to resolve this issue in a timely manner. Because there are legal and property issues involved, we have no further comment at this time,” Warlen remarked.
The next meeting of the Platte County Health Department Board of Trustees is set for Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at the health department’s Platte City location.