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(.lt;( Us Ron I I oo 11 ighRadio Station Asks City To Arbitrate Lease'Hie owner of radio station WADK today answered objections to a proposed lease of city land voiced at last week'smeeting of the city Council.The Council rejected the proposed lease of Water Department land in Middletown by the radio station on a 3-3 tie vote. Councilmen Richard S. Phelps, William F. Benisch and Edward K. Coristine voted against the lease, because oF the $72 monthly rent, which they said was loo low. Several also objected to provisions for arbitration in the event of a dispute, under which the Fees and expenses of the arbitrators would be shared equally by the city and the radio station.Arnold S.IiCrner, president o( Key Stations Inc., operator oi WADK, proposed to the Council in a letter dated Wednesdaythat each parly to the lease pay the fee of its own arbitrator.The fee for the third, disinterestedarbitrator would be split equally. Under this system, the city would be spared paying for its own arbitrator, City Solicitor James S. O’Brien, and would have to assume only 50 per cent of the neutral arbitrator's costs.I^mer remained firm on the matter of rent, saying that $72 a month “is more than fair.” He disputed Tax Assessor Kenneth Stein's opinion that the one-half acre of property in question, zoned residential, had a market value of about $7,200. “We are not familiar with any sale of a residential lot of this size in this area for a sum as great as $7,200,” Lcrner wrote.He said his attorneys had informed him that if the station’s lease with the city wasterminated and WADK ceased to occupy the land, the only use fir the site would be for the Water Department to use il for its own purposes or sell it for residential use.“Since the city does not desire to sell this land and requires athree-year termination clause, Iierner said, “it is hard to imagine this property being put to residential use, except formobile homes which are presently excluded by the Middletown zoning laws.”W ADK’s lease on the properlyin Middletown expired last spring. According to City i Manager B. Cowles Mallory, the fstation under Ibf* old lease occupied a site of about two acres for a fee of $200 a year. Since the termination nf the Continued on Page 12
Newspaper Details
Newport Daily News
Newport, Rhode Island, US
Fri, Oct 22, 1971
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Sammi B.
NA 18 May 2021
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