City Briefs

City finalizes land sale to YMCA

The Shelton City Council on Tuesday unanimously finalized the sale of 10.5 acres of leased land to the Shelton YMCA for $123,200.

The council gave preliminary approval at its April 27 meeting. The city declared the property at the intersection of Shelton Springs Road and East Wallace Kneeland Boulevard surplus. In July 2017, the Shelton City Council approved leasing the site to YMCA for $1 a year, for 100 years. The facility opened in March 2021.

At the council’s April 19 meeting, City Manager Jeff Niten said the lease agreement required that the property be sold as bare land at the time of the purchase. South Sound YMCA in late 2021 sent the city a letter of intent to buy the property, he said.

The sale price was determined by Mason County taxable values. The $123,200 will go to the city’s water department because it owns the land.

No one from the public commented on the sale. Deputy Mayor Joe Schmit recused himself from the vote because he represents the city on the Shelton YMCA Board of Directors.

Council returns to in-person meetings

The Shelton City Council will return to meeting in person beginning with its May 17 regular meeting.

The meetings can also be viewed online. The council will meet at 6 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of each month at the Shelton Civic Center.

For the past two years, COVID-19 prompted the council to meet for study sessions and regular meetings via Zoom. Only one meeting was hosted in the Shelton Civic Center, a session with council distancing, and the audiences watching on a large screen in the lobby, when the council members were sworn in.