Don Guy wants Jiffy Lube, other businesses

 

An angry businessman showed up at Thursday’s Ironton City Council meeting and raged at the Ironton Port Authority after his inquiry about a land purchase at the city’s industrial park was rebuffed.

Don Guy told city leaders he approached Bill Dickens, who is on the I.P.A. board and is also the city’s economic development director, and asked to buy a 1.87 acre tract of land near Cooke’s Farm Center.

“I have a contract with Jiffy Lube,” Guy said. “And I want to put a small strip mall in there and some storage units. I was going to put in some landscaping and make it really nice.”

Guy said Dickens quoted a price of $50,000 — $25,000 an acre — but then told Guy the land was worth much more.

Guy said he agreed to the price but he was then advised by Dickens he would have to purchase an adjacent half acre at $15,000, making the new total $65,000.

Guy said when he advised Dickens he wanted to put a Jiffy Lube on the property, Dickens reportedly objected to having such a business in the industrial park and objected to Guy’s plans to put up a $100,000 steel building to house the Jiffy Lube.

“That’s the same thing (a steel building) as the carpet store and that new building,” Guy said. “I don’t know what the h— they want.”

“How much did your son (Brett Guy, owner of Guy’s Floor Covering) pay for his property?” Councilman Bob Cleary asked Guy. Brett Guy, his father said, paid $27,000 for a little more than an acre Guy’s Floor Covering occupies on South Third Street in the industrial park.

“If he’s not interested in the city and what the city needs, he needs to resign,” Guy thundered. “We need stuff in this town. We’ve lost Fannin’s (Hallmark store) and we’re losing Bob Linn (Sporting Goods).”

“I am equally as ticked off as you are,” Council President Mike Lutz replied.

Contacted after the meeting, Dickens said he never quoted Guy any price for land and instead referred him to Paul Woods, who is the I.P.A. Chairman. Dickens said he did in fact object to Guy’s plans for an “unattractive metal garage” that would not enhance the appearance of the city.

“I asked him to make some changes, make it more attractive and he flatly refused,” Dickens said. Dickens contended he could not talk to Guy without the man screaming at him.