City comes to terms on purchase of property from couple

The City of Ponca City has come to terms with the owners of three lots at 320 South Fourth Street for the purchase of their property.

The lots are the last remaining in the block, which is planned for future construction of a new Public Safety Center. It is in the block east of the current Police Department building.

The current owners are Bobby and Haley Goddard, who previously declined an offer by the city to purchase the property. The lots include a house  the Goddards planned to renovate before they knew of the city’s plans to purchase the properties on their block.

The Goddards appeared at a City Commission meeting on March 26 when City Attorney Michael Vanderburg said the Goddards’ house was not connected to utilities and the city had offered the family more than twice their purchase price, which they rejected.

Haley Goddard spoke during the meeting, saying there was a difference in negotiation.

At the March meeting, commissioners declined to approve a resolution to condemn the property and encouraged the Goddards and the city’s attorney to continue to negotiate.

A contract for the purchase of the property was signed by the Goddards for $75,000, and the closing will be set within the next 90 days.

A clause in the contract allows the Goddards to remove all personal property from the parcel at their sole expense. This clause  includes the removal of the house structure.

In the event that the Goddards do not remove the property, it shall be considered abandoned and may be disposed of through demolition or other appropriate means, the contract states.