Wright City has signed a contract to purchase the Big Boy's restaurant property, a move designed to rid the city of a deteriorating building that many have called an eyesore over the years since the popular restaurant closed in 2005. The city will pay $170,000 for the 2.5-acre property, Mayor David Heiliger told The Record following last Thursday's board of aldermen meeting. Earlier in the evening, the board voted unanimously to approve a resolution related to purchasing the property. Heiliger said the land could possibly be the future site of a new city hall and police department. The land will be acquired through a lease purchase, city treasurer Karen Girondo said. The property is owned by Paul Scott King Sr. and his sons, Kevin and Paul Scott King Jr. The restaurant was closed by the Missouri Department of Revenue in April 2005 because the Kings failed to pay state sales tax. Since then, the building has been vacant and the Kings allowed the structure that housed Big Boy's to fall into disrepair. City officials hope the acquisition eliminates questions about the property's future, which sits on Veterans Memorial Parkway and is a stone's throw from Interstate 70. "We were all like, ‘Let's get rid of the eyesore,' " said Heiliger, who acknowledged the city approached the Kings about two months ago. "We looked at it as the building is not safe. It's ruined in the inside." Cleaning up the Interstate 70 corridor that runs through the middle of the city has been a priority for city officials and those efforts have been ramped up in the past several months to make the city more visibly appealing to passing motorists. "I am excited about it," Alderman Jim Schuchmann said. "It's a positive move for the city and a positive move for Warren County. We have been focusing on cleaning up the I-70 corridor. That is our front door to everyone coming into the community. I know there were Warren County residents who were bothered by the deterioration of Big Boy's. I just see it as a positive move where we will get it cleaned up." In its heyday, the restaurant was a popular stop for local residents and highway travelers. According to published reports, Big Boy's moved to its present location in 1948. The restaurant underwent several changes in ownership, with Paul S. King Sr. buying the business in the mid 1980s. However, once the restaurant closed, city officials and residents routinely expressed frustration that more wasn't being done to maintain the property and its structures. Earlier this year, one of the three buildings was demolished after it was condemned.  The Kings have been cited on multiple occasions over the years, mainly for the dilapidated state of the buildings on the property. An attempt to have the restaurant placed on the National Register of Historic Places failed in 2007. The city is expected to close on the property around Nov. 15, officials said. Once that is completed, Heiliger said the city may try to salvage some of the fixtures, utensils and other items that still may be stored there and sell them at auction. The inside of the restaurant looks the same as to when it closed in 2005. No time line is known as to how fast the city will proceed with clearing the property and a possible relocation of city offices.  "Eventually we're going to outgrow this," said Heiliger, referring to the current city hall. "We are working hard on the I-70 corridor. That is our face right there." Alderman Tom Black, who has been outspoken in the past about the need to see the property cleaned up, was glad to see something positive happen with the city's intent to purchase the property.  "I think it's a great idea," Alderman Tom Black said. "The price is right. We will have something better to look at instead of that crap."