AUBURN - Two Auburn residents are going to buy a piece of city land after maintaining the property on their own.

Neighbors Jack Hardy and Michael Coleman will purchase the small parcel at 73 Chapman Avenue for $1,040. The plot is currently empty, and the sale agreement does not allow any development on the land.

City council unanimously approved the transaction Thursday during a business meeting.

City Manager Mark Palesh said during the meeting that Hardy and Coleman approached city officials and offered to buy the plot.

Both residents live near the property, and they have been maintaining the land and keeping it clean of litter on their own time, Palesh said.

The land does not have much market value, and the sale means the parcel is back on the tax roll he said.

“I think this is a nice reward for these gentlemen for all their efforts,” Palesh said.

In other news:

• The council presented local veteran Tony DeTomaso with one of the signs recently posted downtown on Genesee Street indicating the road's new name, the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion Memorial Highway.

The 299th battalion participated in the Allied invasion at Normandy during World War II, and many of the unit's members were from Cayuga County. The city renamed the stretch of road in June.

DeTomaso, who was part of the combat unit, thanked the city for memorializing the 299th.

• Council passed two resolutions allowing the city to open money market and certificate of deposit accounts with Citizens Bank and First Niagara Bank.

According to City Treasurer Robert Gauthier, the city does the majority of its banking with Tompkins Trust Company. Whenever the city wants to open accounts with other banks, it must be approved by council, he said.