Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
This house located at 323 East Pine Street is set to be removed with joint funding provided by the city and county and a grant through the state.
BESSEMER - Gogebic County is one of five counties in Michigan expecting grant monies from the state to help remove a few of its blighted properties.
Gogebic County Treasurer Sue Pertile said she hasn't officially received documentation, but she's heard from officials in Marquette County, the county acting as lead agent on the grant proposal, that it's going through.
There are three blighted properties, two in Ironwood and one in Bessemer, that officials are hoping to eliminate with a grant through the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority.
"Twenty-five percent (of the funding) comes from a local match," Pertile said.
The five Michigan counties requested $168,950 from the MSHDA, through the Blight Elimination Grant, with $42,238 in matching funds from the participating counties.
The grant will allow elimination of 11 blighted, publicly-owned residential units in total.
There is one property in Mathias Township in Alger County; one in Escanaba, in Delta County; one in Adams Township, Houghton County; two in Ishpeming and one in Republic Township, both in Marquette County; and the three in Gogebic County.
The two in Ironwood are located at 108 East Houk Street and 323 East Pine Street. The property in Bessemer is at 506 South Moore Street.
Pertile said there were some requirements the properties had to meet in order to qualify for the grant, including being located near the town or city and a residential, as opposed to commercial, property.
Occasionally, to deal with other blighted properties, municipalities will initiate controlled burns to eliminate any structures on the land.
Though there may be more blighted properties in the area, there is not always the funding available to clear the land.
The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners also held a public hearing on the Blight Elimination Grant on Wednesday in the 98th District Court room to hear public comment.
