The City of Hart and the nonprofit organization and kitchen incubator, the Starting Block, are negotiating a possible one-year lease agreement, with the latter intending to purchase the facility from the city at the end of the agreement. The draft lease agreement presented at the council meeting is similar to the original lease agreed upon by both parties over 15 years ago, and City Manager Nichole Kleiner asked council members for input on several items in the contract.
The Starting Block had, prior to the meeting’s start, provided its own feedback to the draft, requesting clear stipulations on the organization’s ownership of the facility at the end of the lease, such as first right of refusal for purchase and keeping the original lease’s option to purchase the building for $1,000. Stated in the Starting Block’s email to the city, they are concerned, “that signing [this] new lease could jeopardize or be interpreted as waiving the Starting Block’s right to complete the purchase under the original lease.”
One discussion topic was that of maintenance and capital improvements to the building, which, in the original lease, were agreed to be the Starting Block’s responsibility. Past contention between the organization and the city has stemmed from these responsibilities not being met by the Starting Block in the past, such as the City of Hart paying for utility bills and a recent roof replacement which cost $70,000.
In the new draft agreement, the Starting Block would still be responsible for capital improvements, with which the council agrees, especially considering the untraditional nature of the lease agreement wherein the building is sold to the tenant afterwards. Also pointed out by Mayor Amanda Klotz was the concern of city funds: "Are we in a position, budget-wise, to be able to fund some of those unforeseen problems with that building? I would say no.”
Also agreed upon by council was the decision that snow removal and lawn maintenance were the responsibility of the tenant.
Council member Andrew Mullen also requested that the city’s legal counsel review the lease’s position on building insurance, clarifying to what degree the city’s coverage is liable for damage to the property. Also discussed was how far in advance either party must give notice before terminating the lease. The draft gave 90 days' notice, whereas the Starting Block requested a year’s notice, due to the multiple businesses that rely on the Starting Block's kitchen facilities. The council compromised with 6 months, or 180 days, notice.
Finally, Kleiner posed the question of whether the council would still uphold the Starting Block’s request to have the option to purchase the facility for $1,000 following the one-year lease’s end. Council was hesitant to fully grant the right to purchase after only one year. "I’m not against offering the facility again for a very low price… [but] it doesn’t take care of the fact that the original lease agreement was not upheld on [the Starting Block’s] side,” Mullen said.
Kleiner’s recommendation, which the council ultimately agreed upon, was to "reevaluate the Starting Block’s condition after a year," or if the city considers selling, to "go out to a request for proposals and give everyone the opportunity.”
In the end, the city council approved their end of the draft proposal with the discussed changes to responsibility for snow removal and lawn care, clarification on insurance and increasing termination notice to 180 days.
The city also approved minor changes to the contract with MDOT, authorizing the upcoming Safe Routes to School project, set to break ground in spring of next year. Minor edits included the addition of two streets omitted from the original agreement and corrections for number values.
Again, council member Jim Cunningham asked if the school’s uncooperative position on the project had changed. Kleiner reiterated that the issue had not been brought back to either the school board or the new superintendent and that the project had been redrafted to not need their approval. The city will still have to address the project with the school district again regarding the bus gate’s obstruction to the path when opened. The council accepted the amendments to the contract.
Mullen opened for discussion and addressed the council with a statement regarding his position on surveillance cameras, such as the Flock Safety cameras that the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) had installed for a trial period earlier this month. Following a county-wide outcry, the OCSO has cancelled their contract with Flock Safety and is awaiting the removal of the cameras from the county.
Considering citizens' constitutional rights, Supreme Court decisions further clarifying these rights and his own outlook on the corporations behind these cameras, Mullen said, "These private companies have a business model. They’re here to make a dollar and ensure value for their shareholders. They are selling a product.”
Of how the current discourse has affected citizens' trust in local law enforcement and government, Mullen continued, “I do not want some private company only out to make a buck causing distrust and animosity between those sworn to protect and serve the community and those that they are sworn to protect,” and suggested that the council "take steps to enact changes to our city code and ordinances banning these types of mass surveillance systems here.”
In her city manager report, Kleiner said she was sad to report that John Gurney Park and Campground had lost an additional $70,000 during the 2025/2026 fiscal year, bringing the park fund’s deficit up to $185,000. As $133,000 of that yearly budget is dedicated to wages, which it can no longer sustain. As such, as described by Kleiner, in order to get the deficit under control, the city has made “the tough decision” to eliminate the full-time parks and recreation position and, for next year, install a seasonal full-time position to manage the park at $40,000 a year with no benefits. As Kleiner explained, “this will balance the budget and leave additional room for part-time help as needed.”
In anticipation of the position’s termination, public comment consisted of support for current city parks manager Chris TerHaar and the work he’s done in the past at both the campground and around Hart, with one commenter challenging the city to “find someone who works as hard and passionately at the job” as TerHaar. Council member Cat Burillo reiterated that the decision was financial and not a reflection of TerHaar's work and expressed her appreciation for his work ethic and sadness over the decision.
TerHaar was in attendance at the meeting and said of the decision, “I will give it my all until the final day. I’m too proud not to.”
