RIPON – The Police Activities League’s Community Youth Center sits vacant along downtown.

But perhaps it won’t be for too long.

The Ripon City Council on Tuesday agreed to lease out the empty building at 303 W. Main St.

“Personally, I think it’s crazy to leave that space vacant,” Councilman Dean Uecker said. “It’s becoming an eye sore – we need to do something with it and not let it sit there.”

His colleague, Garry Krebbs, agreed. “As a vacant building, it’s looking worse and worse (for our downtown).”

Not too long ago, the city was approached by a non-profit group, which expressed an interest in occupying the PAL building, according to Ken Zuidervaart, director of planning.

Such matters were up to the council, he said.

But talks also opened up the possibility of leasing the 5,800-square-foot space to the general public, with revenue going back to the city to offset expenses while also doing away with the blighted downtown conditions.

Zuidervaart told elected officials that the property could fetch $5,200 per month or more based on the number of occupancies – four spaces could be made available for lease, he said – to the city’s general fund.

Those projected figures were made possible by Jeannette Woerman-Mason of Modesto’s Brekke Real Estate.

Zuidervaart pointed out that the building is still in need of certain repairs / maintenance items prior to leasing. Included are the roof, mansard underside of canopy, heating / air conditioning, and basic cleaning.

Council, in addition, must determine the length of the lease terms, with this building offering other possibilities such as expansion for other nearby businesses.

“It’ll help the downtown,” said Mayor Elden ‘Red’ Nutt. “The library is a good example of what you can do with an old building.”