The forthcoming Gemstone Climbing gym in Twin Falls, Idaho was denied reimbursement from the city for costs it incurred to remove debris from its property. The city-owned property had been sold for $1 as-is to Gemstone Climbing in 2016.
The business had asked the city to reimburse it $40,000 for excavating concrete that was found during the construction of the foundation. At a meeting earlier this month, the Urban Renewal board tabled the item with the understanding the agency was under no obligation to pay the funds and did not intend to.
“We don’t want to pay people to take property off our hands,” said URA Executive Director Nathan Murray.
“They bought a piece of property for $1 and they’re not getting their money’s worth, is what they’re saying,” said URA attorney Fritz Wonderlich. No one from Gemstone attended the meeting. And Gemstone Climbing partner Hailey Barnes declined to comment to Magicvalley.com about the decision.
The $2.5 million gym has been under construction for about a year. The gym is expected to open sometime this fall.
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