The city’s plans to acquire the pair of storage units adjacent to Russom Park have been altered, as they now plan to purchase the property by themselves.

The Dowagiac City Council approved the amended proposal during a special meeting Monday afternoon. Under the new agreement, the city will pay the entire $109,000 asking price for the two storage facilities, located near the entrance of the park on Middle Crossing Street, using funds from its municipal building and cemetery funds, according to City Manager Kevin Anderson.

“If we look at a purchase price of $109,000, with an interest rate of 3.99 percent over 12 years, it’s about a $953 a month payment,” Anderson said.

The city originally planned to partner with Silver Creek Township to purchase the property from owner Chemical Bank, with the two entities splitting the price tag. However, the township’s due diligence for their part of the purchase has taken longer than anticipated, Anderson said.

“The bank needs to have a firm commitment or they have to move through their process,” Anderson said. “They need that commitment by Wednesday.”

The city and the township originally expressed interest in purchasing the storage units last month in order to bolster its plans for the athletic facilities housed at the park. The Russom Park master plan calls for the addition of space to house equipment used by soccer and baseball organizations for the fields.

By purchasing existing units instead constructing new ones, Anderson said the city expects to save around $20,000 to $30,000.

The city plans on leasing units not used for park storage, with revenue generated from monthly rent payments used to cover the initial cost of purchase as well as help pay for ongoing park maintenance.

At 75 percent occupancy, the city is projected to earn $1,612.50 worth of monthly rental income, according to data provided by the city manager.

The language of the revised resolution leaves open the possibility for the city and the township to share ownership of the property in the future.

“It can stand on its own to help us reduce the our costs for storage facilities in the future, help us deal with some property lines that are very close there, as well as provide some income to help support some operations there,” Anderson said.