St. Charles Parish plans to purchase Madere’s Garage for $670,000

The St. Charles Parish Council voted Nov. 3 to sign a lease with the owners of the former Madere’s Garage on River Road in Hahnville for $20,000 through Jan. 5. The parish says they will use the property to perform maintenance on vehicles and equipment.

At the end of the lease, the parish intends to purchase the building at its appraised value of $670,000.

Members of the council appealed to partial-owner Jan Madere to consider a lease-to-purchase agreement. Madere argued before the council that the lease agreement was offered in lieu of his putting the property on the open market. He claimed that two other parties expressed interest in purchasing the property.

“I was kinda shocked, too, when he asked for this money up front,” Parish President V.J. St. Pierre Jr. told the council, “but [the Maderes] were real firm on that amount.”

The council voted on a budget that included $800,000 to purchase the property across from the courthouse, but that money will not be available until Jan. 1. Advisors to the parish president said it was necessary to offer this lease as a means of keeping the property off the market until it could be purchased during the next budget cycle.

According to St. Charles Parish spokeswoman Renee Simpson, the budgeted amount was an estimate of the purchase price, drawn up before an appraisal was complete. The excess amount budgeted will allow for any necessary renovations to the property.

“That’s an insane amount of money for me to think that we’re just going to throw down the drain,” Councilwoman Julia Fisher-Perrier said.

Parish attorney Leon “Sunny” Vial argued that the money the parish will spend to lease the property was nothing in comparison to the nearly $40,000 or $50,000 per year he claimed the parish would save by consolidating various government maintenance and storage facilities to the Madere property over the next year.

Madere’s Garage was in service at the site across from the courthouse for nearly 90 years. Formerly a car dealership and gas station, Chrysler discontinued its presence at Madere’s in 2009 after filing for bankruptcy. The site continued to operate as a repair garage until September of this year.

Council members ultimately conceded their desire to secure the property at virtually any cost.

“The way things went down may not be the correct way,” said Councilman Larry Cochran, “but I think we’re landlocked around this courthouse…I don’t want to lose this property.”

Fisher-Perrier agreed.

“I think we got our arms twisted around our back right here, but I think we need this property,” she said.

 

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