CHANDLER - Contract terms on a deal to acquire nearly 30 acres from Stanley McCurley have been approved, and city administrator Jim Moffeit said both sides made concessions to formalize the agreement.

"We came up with a compromise to pay him off in five years if we have the money," Moffeit said. "The penalty would be about $18,000, but I don’t foresee us paying it off early."

After agreeing to a sale price of $585,000 on the property at 802 Martin St., Chandler officials and McCurley differed on two points: The time he would be given to vacate the prop- erty once the contract was signed and whether the city could pay off McCurley in less than the 10-year term on which the parties agreed.

"The council wanted some way to pay him off if the funds are available," Moffeit said. "We also compromised on the four months for him to move out. He wanted six months, and the council wanted 90 days."

Chandler will pay McCurley $200,000 at closing. The remaining $385,000 will be paid at 6 percent over the next 10 years.

The Martin Street property includes a house, swimming pool and other buildings. Its proximity to Winchester Park on FM 315 makes it attractive to city officials for possible recreational expansion or a government complex that would feature a community center, City Hall, chamber of commerce, and police department.

Moffeit has said all four departments, housed in one building on State Highway 31, are cramped and running out of space.

Planning Concepts, a consulting firm in Tyler, has been retained to draft plans on how to best use the Martin Street property and Winchester Park as Chandler prepares for what is projected to be substantial growth in Smith and Henderson counties over the next 30 years.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant programs are a motivating factor in the city’s land acquisition. The agency’s "small community grant" program offers money to Texas municipalities and counties with populations under 20,000.

The grants provide 50 percent matching funds, with the maximum amount awarded $75,000.

The money must be used for playgrounds, swimming pools, trails, beautification, restoration, gardens, athletic courts and support facilities, ball fields, boating, and other recreational activities, according to the TPWD.

Chandler officials initially discussed purchasing 14 acres of McCurley’s land before an offer was made on the entire property. McCurley’s asking price was $650,000.