Town and Miles negotiate property swap; move will help enlarge park

The town has plans of adding to Crouse Park upon the completion of a transfer of property between the town and D.W. and Barbara Miles of Miles Companies.

The matter was discussed during at the town’s monthly meeting on Sept. 7 at Sparta Town Hall.

The town has plans of exchanging two pieces of property, totaling .63 acre for Miles’ .88 acre at the intersection of Grayson Street and N.C. 18. The Miles property is directly adjacent to Floyd R. and Sara Ellen Gambill Crouse Park, which would be the town’s ultimate beneficiary. The Miles property formerly housed Troutman Industries, a sewing factory that closed in the 1980s. “I’ve used it as a warehouse and Pern Edwards used it for furniture manufacturing for awhile. He and I bought it together originally and I bought his part out.”

Miles said he first purchased the property about 20 years ago. The factory building that was on the property collapsed earlier this year and workers from Miles Companies removed the debris.

“In my opinion, its a really valuable piece of property and something they really need to add to their park,” Miles said. “We have wanted to let the town have this all along when we were through with it, but we using it all along until it fell in.”

“I need some warehouse space and a loading dock for a family Christmas tree operation, so it worked out well for both of us,” Miles said. Miles’ property, with an appraised value of $95,000, is located at the corner of 18 north and Grayson Street and is adjacent to Crouse Park. He is exchanging it for town property, with an appraised value of $40,000, located at 99 Duncan Street and property that the town is in the process of purchasing from Farmer’s Hardware located at adjacent to the Duncan Street property. That property has an appraised value of $12,000, but the town is purchasing it for $6,000, Edwards said.

“The idea of exchanging property came about when D.W. approached the town with the idea a couple months ago,” Edwards said.

The town property on Duncan Street includes a 2,400-square-foot building with a basement. Attached to that building is a wash bay. Also on the property is a three-bay pole building that has been used to house vehicles and other open-air storage in the past.

The opportunity will open the doors at the park to possibilities including expanding picnic shelters.

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