Public Hearing Set As Crane Plans For Building Demolition
February 14, 2019
Isaac Estes-Jones
A public hearing will be held on Monday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m. at Crane City Hall. This hearing will assist the city in it’s application for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which the city hopes to use to remove abandoned buildings in town.
“As part of the application process, we need to do a community assessment. Based on the outcome of that, we will hopefully move forward with this project,” said Collin Brannan, Mayor of Crane.
As part of the hearing, attending citizens will be asked for verbal assistance as the needs assessment is filled out. “We will have some people from the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG) down to help us run the meeting,” said Brannan.
As for the entire format of the meeting, Brannan was not entirely sure what it would look like. “We’ve never had to do this sort of meeting for a project like we are wanting to do. I know it is interactive though. That’s why we are having some people from SMCOG help us out,” he said.
The city of Crane has been considering applying for this sort of grant for some time to tear down abandoned buildings, especially homes in city limits. This is a completely voluntary process, however. Nor is the city seizing property from landowners. For residential buildings, landowners will be asked to contribute $500, then the grant and city would take care of the costs of removing the building down to dirt. Owners do not lose their property. For commercially zoned property, the landowner contribution is 20% of the cost of demolition and removal.
In total, the city has identified 33 properties that fit their plan. Most of these properties are residential structures. However, a portion of the old casket factory, near the railroad tracks, is also included in the list of properties. “That one might prove a bit difficult,” said Brannan. “The individual identified as owner on tax documents passed away last year and finding the current owner has proven difficult,” Brannan said.
Outside of that difficulty, Brannan said that the majority of landowners the city has contacted seem encouraged. “Most of the landowners seem to want to partner with us on it,” he said.
After the public hearing on Monday, February 25, the grant application will be submitted by the April deadline. “We are going to pursue remedying these properties,” Brannan said. “The city attorney is working on agreement form so the landowners and the city are all in agreement,” he said.
If the grant is approved, the city will move forward, declaring the buildings nuisance properties. “We’ll need to do inspections, so we know what to expect when demolishing the structures,” he said. “Then, we’ll have to bid the work out. Once all of that is done, hopefully we can get this project completed by this fall,” Brannan said.
The total estimated cost to remove the 33 identified structures is $315,500. The CDBG would cover $250,000 of that, leaving city and landowner contributions to make up the difference. According to a public hearing notice, appearing on page 10A in this week’s paper, or download a pdf copy by clicking the button below, the city proposes contributing $34,950 in equipment and labor, leaving landowner contributions making up the remaining $30,550.
All citizens, not only those with targeted properties, are encouraged to attend the hearing on the 25th to comment on the proposed activities. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. in Crane City Hall.
Isaac Estes-Jones
A public hearing will be held on Monday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m. at Crane City Hall. This hearing will assist the city in it’s application for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which the city hopes to use to remove abandoned buildings in town.
“As part of the application process, we need to do a community assessment. Based on the outcome of that, we will hopefully move forward with this project,” said Collin Brannan, Mayor of Crane.
As part of the hearing, attending citizens will be asked for verbal assistance as the needs assessment is filled out. “We will have some people from the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG) down to help us run the meeting,” said Brannan.
As for the entire format of the meeting, Brannan was not entirely sure what it would look like. “We’ve never had to do this sort of meeting for a project like we are wanting to do. I know it is interactive though. That’s why we are having some people from SMCOG help us out,” he said.
The city of Crane has been considering applying for this sort of grant for some time to tear down abandoned buildings, especially homes in city limits. This is a completely voluntary process, however. Nor is the city seizing property from landowners. For residential buildings, landowners will be asked to contribute $500, then the grant and city would take care of the costs of removing the building down to dirt. Owners do not lose their property. For commercially zoned property, the landowner contribution is 20% of the cost of demolition and removal.
In total, the city has identified 33 properties that fit their plan. Most of these properties are residential structures. However, a portion of the old casket factory, near the railroad tracks, is also included in the list of properties. “That one might prove a bit difficult,” said Brannan. “The individual identified as owner on tax documents passed away last year and finding the current owner has proven difficult,” Brannan said.
Outside of that difficulty, Brannan said that the majority of landowners the city has contacted seem encouraged. “Most of the landowners seem to want to partner with us on it,” he said.
After the public hearing on Monday, February 25, the grant application will be submitted by the April deadline. “We are going to pursue remedying these properties,” Brannan said. “The city attorney is working on agreement form so the landowners and the city are all in agreement,” he said.
If the grant is approved, the city will move forward, declaring the buildings nuisance properties. “We’ll need to do inspections, so we know what to expect when demolishing the structures,” he said. “Then, we’ll have to bid the work out. Once all of that is done, hopefully we can get this project completed by this fall,” Brannan said.
The total estimated cost to remove the 33 identified structures is $315,500. The CDBG would cover $250,000 of that, leaving city and landowner contributions to make up the difference. According to a public hearing notice, appearing on page 10A in this week’s paper, or download a pdf copy by clicking the button below, the city proposes contributing $34,950 in equipment and labor, leaving landowner contributions making up the remaining $30,550.
All citizens, not only those with targeted properties, are encouraged to attend the hearing on the 25th to comment on the proposed activities. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. in Crane City Hall.