City ready to close deal on business park

Waynesboro City Council will vote next week on whether or not it will pursue a $3.475 million deal to purchase approximately 170 acres of land adjacent to Exit 96 off Interstate 64 to create a business park.

If it does so, it will take a big step to sealing a deal with a key contributor to the 2008 City Council campaigns of Mayor Frank Lucente and Vice Mayor Bruce Allen.

The Waynesboro Opportunity Park property is owned by Afton attorney Roger Willetts, the president of the Lyndhurst-based Armatac Industries, which donated $500 to the ’08 election campaigns of Lucente and Allen, according to reports on file with the Waynesboro Electoral Board.

A story in today’s News Virginian cites economic-development officials in the city as saying that the city has been considering purchasing the property for more than a year, but the City Council’s interest in the property dates back at least two years. In February 2009 City Council included a project to build a road opening up the property on a list of projects that it wanted to see receive federal stimulus dollars.

Negotiations have been ongoing regarding the property for some time, according to a city staff report on file with the City Council Clerk’s office that details extensive negotiations that have been ongoing – and lists a closing date having been arranged to occur between Aug. 18 and Sept. 18.