Wakefield council proceeds with condemnation of structures

WAKEFIELD - The Wakefield city council held a hearing for the condemnation of two structures at its meeting Monday evening.

It decided to proceed with condemnation of the buildings at 111 Bedell Ave. and 502 Sunday Lake St. The building owners have until Sept. 26 to remove the structures.

The city was notified of a resolution to set aside $6 million in Community Development Block Grant Funds for eligible projects impacted by extreme cold last winter.

City manager Margot Rusinek is currently looking into the possibility of applying for the grant in order to renovate the damage on Harrison Street.

However, the city's damages must meet a serious threat to the health or welfare of the community, Rusinek said.

The council approved a ballot question concerning a Wakefield Public Library millage proposal, which will appear on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election.

The proposal included the levy of an additional annual tax of one mill, or $1 on each $1,000 of taxable value, to gather funds for the library.

The council approved the creation of a city Facebook page.

"The goal of a city Facebook page is two part - to drive tourism and foster a sense of community," Rusinek said.

The council agreed to pursue a lease with the option to purchase agreement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette for Father Daniel Hall.

"In October 2013, the building was appraised at approximately $100,000," Rusinek said.

Remodeling requirements would include new restroom fixtures and widening the restroom doors. "In the future, the city would need to weatherproof the structure, replace the original windows and consider a permanent vault," Rusinek added.

The council approved a request to create a subcommittee for the Eddy Park improvements.

It is currently searching for committee members in addition to council members Joseph DelFavero and Bob Blaskowski and Prime Professional Jeff Bal of GEI Consultants.

"I guess the idea for a subcommittee would be that we get three or four alternatives instead of just one," Blaskowski said.

The council agreed to pursue the sale of lot 46 and the adjacent parcel in Section 10 to Joel Laessig.

The property value for both sections is estimated at $17,000. This amount exceeds the city's charter prohibiting the sale of property that exceeds $3 per capita, so a public vote is necessary to proceed with the sale.

A formal presentation will be made at the Aug. 4 planning commission meeting and final ballot language will be available for the next city council meeting.

The city manager revised and updated job descriptions for each city employee.

"It is essential the employee know what is expected on the job and that the city communicate which skills make a candidate successful," Rusinek said.