Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
Ironwood — The Ironwood City Commission learned Monday that bids for the city’s Hardest Hit demolition project will be opened on Thursday.
City manager Scott Erickson said the bids will likely come before the city commission for action at the next commission meeting.
On Monday, commissioners released a lien on property at 324 E. Oak St. so a house can be torn down there as part of the summer project.
Earlier in the meeting, city code enforcement officer Jason Alonen noted 136 blighted structures in the city have been demolished in the past five years.
He told commissioners the process for getting houses demolished has lengthened as the city revised its ordinances to better conform with state regulations.
He said it can take as many as seven letters and two public hearings for the city to get to the point where a structure can be demolished.
Alonen said the goal is to get the homeowner to take action before the long, involved process is played out in full.
“Our goal is for them to want to take the initiative,” he said.
He said people who are concerned about blighted structures and would like to report chronic offenders can call him and leave a message or send an e-mail.
Commissioner Rick Semo said city officials should do the best they can do move forward and clean up the city by enforcing the ordinances that are on the books.
Alonen said he is aware of blight at a motel on U.S. 2 and in some other areas of the city mentioned by city resident Paul Grbavcich during the public comment section of Monday’s meeting.
Grbavcich again mentioned parcels on Pine, Luxmore and Houk streets as being areas of concern, also including the former Ahonen mill property.
He again blasted the commission for not giving the bid to replace the welcome sign at the triangle to a downstate Wisconsin company, rather than a local business.
The commission approved the appointment of Ryan Wood to the planning commission. Acting Mayor Kim Corcoran said she consulted with Mayor Annette Burchell, who supported Wood.
An appointment to the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority was tabled so it can be researched as to whether the candidate has a conflict of interest. Erickson said the applicant works for a company that does business with the city, but that might not be a conflict.