Highland City Council signs off on purchase of 1,000-square-foot house in town

A 1940 house next to the Weinheimer Community Center will soon be the property of the city and be demolished, after a decision by the Highland City Council.

The council authorized the purchase of a 1,000-square-foot house that lies between an existing parking lot and the community center at its regular council meeting last week.

“We have been trying to purchase it for a number of years,” said city manager Chris Conrad. The city will pay $100,000 for the property.

The house will be demolished, and the land could be used to expand the community center or to expand the parking lot Conrad said.

“It’s something we will look at,” he said. “Since the senior (citizens) are no longer at the Weinheimer, a lot of groups are looking at using the center.”

Indoor soccer, basketball, a bridge club, the Boy Scouts and others all make regular use of the Weinheimer Center, Conrad said. It is also one of the city’s emergency centers, providing a safe place in extreme heat and cold that is connected to the city generators, he said.

If expanding the center is approved, Conrad said it will definitely expand from the side opposite the new mural, which was funded by the Highland Arts Center and painted last summer.