BROWNSTOWN

A former site of a gas station where vendors later sold snow cones and sheds soon could be the town of Brownstown’s property.

Steve Goins, vice president of human resources and facilities with Kocolene Development Corp. in Seymour, recently told Brownstown Town Council members that the company is interested in donating the 0.16-acre property in the 800 block of West Commerce Street to the town.

Council President John Nolting said the town appreciates the offer and may be willing to accept it once town attorney Rodney Farrow reviews the legal documents.

Council members agreed the property, which is where Bloomington Road forks off of Commerce Street or U.S. 50, could be used to draw attention to town businesses or events.

“That could be a really nice visual,” Councilwoman Bethany Brewster said.

Kocolene bought the property from Jesse and Helen Sovern for $12,000 in April 2014. KMC31SOVERN LLC was set up to make that purchase, and it remained under Kocolene Development Corp.

At the time, Kocolene operated a Fast Max convenience store and gas station on a 1.081-acre site just to the east.

In 2015, Kocolene sold the convenience store and gas station to Mac’s Convenience Stores LLC of Columbus, which opened it as Circle K. That company, however, wasn’t interested in the 0.16-acre site.

So Kocolene recently decided to offer donating the small piece of property to the town.

Part of the property that runs along Commerce Street is paved and contains a chunk of concrete that used to be the base of a sign. The paved area leads to Bloomington Road, where the property slopes down and contains grass.

Access to the area is blocked off with concrete parking blocks.

“The property is clean. There’s no contamination on it,” Goins said of the former site of an Ashland gas station.

If the town decides to accept the donation of the property, Brewster said one option is having a garden club maintain it as part of the Brownstown Chamber of Commerce starting a beautification project.

Clerk-Treasurer David Willey said local business owners had approached the town in the past about constructing a sign in another area of Commerce Street to give businesses an opportunity to advertise. That’s another possibility if the town decides to take control of the property.