Hickory House

Looks like Dixie's little property flip is going ahead as planned. Of course nothing in this town is ever as it seems so I am naturally not holding my breath. The front runner in the non bidding war, is Kings Pointe, Oceanside Marina or the more charmingly named parent company Cortex. Does that not sound like something out of a bad 80s sci fi movie?

County Commissioner Dixie Spehar, who lobbied hard for the purchase of a Stock Island bar and restaurant last fall, says her push to sell it just five months later is financially driven.

But some wonder if there's more to the story.

“It goes from stupidity to premeditation when the request for bids is directed at just three or four people,” said Commissioner George Neugent, who has criticized the $3.12 million purchase and in fact voted against the 2006-07 county budget because the restaurant purchase was contained in it.

Here is Dixie back in March...

The former Hickory House is one of Monroe's first efforts to preserve public access to the waterfront - but it's a long ways from being the public park “where people can dip their feet in the water,” as County Commissioner Dixie Spehar envisions it.

Public park eh? Whatever. Fast forward to today.

Spehar initially proposed the purchase, arguing vehemently that the parcel represents the last opportunity for Stock Island residents to have public access to the water.

Now, she said in a statement released this week, she wants to recoup the cost of the property while retaining an easement to “ensure permanent public access to at least a modest piece of our historic and treasured Stock Island waterfront....”

Skeptics like Neugent question the parameters proposed for the bid request. As it is proposed, it suggests the building be converted to a bait shop and convenience store.

Surprise, surprise it it going to be.... drum roll please... housing. With a whopping 5 affordable units. This is just getting better and better. I would have thought a bait shop and convenience store would be far more in keeping with both the area and the physical attributes of the building.

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