MIDDLETON, Idaho — Davis Park in Middleton is a memorial park that was donated in 1992 to the memory of a former Middleton resident’s father.
It's been in the community for nearly 30 years, but could potentially turn into a parking lot for a nearby business.
The memorialized Davis Park was auctioned off Wednesday for the minimum price of $22,000 to a neighboring business, Custom Sheds of Idaho.
The store owners plan to use the land for additional parking for their store, as well as show space for some of their sheds, but the sale still isn't finalized.
"Because the auction had already been scheduled, we procedurally decided to go forward with the auction and receive - but not accept - any bids that were tendered today," Middleton Mayor Darin Taylor said.
The Middleton City Council has elected to take a vote at their next meeting on Aug. 21 to decide whether they will officially sell Davis Park to Custom Sheds of Idaho.
Taylor said that the city was unaware of the history and sentimental value of Davis Park when the sale was originally proposed, which leads him to believe City Council will not approve the sale.
On top of this, the city would also be required to take the funds from the sale and allocate them to the parks fund, matching the green space somewhere else.
"The $22,000 received would not be enough to replicate what’s there now," Taylor said. "Which is one of the reasons that the City Council might not decide to sell the property."
Custom Sheds of Idaho owner Shawn Trimmer said they just want to be respectful to the history of Davis Park and the family that donated it.
"If we do end up going through with the sale, we want to contact the Davis family," Trimmer said. "We talked to the mayor and he’s gonna talk to the family to see what they would like to do."
The check was already signed by Trimmer and his wife, and is pending upon the City Council's vote next Wednesday.
Kaye Henderson, the daughter of the man the park was named after, said she is keeping her fingers crossed that the bid will be turned down.
"I wish the city would've looked into it a little more thoroughly before they put it up for auction," Henderson said. "But I hope they don't approve it."