Communities receive blight grants totaling $350,000

LANSING — The Michigan Land Bank Authority announced Tuesday that nine communities, including the village of Ontonagon, Ontonagon Township, Bessemer and Ironwood and Houghton County will receive a total of $350,000 to help eliminate blight in their communities.

The Rural Community Demolition Grant was made available to county Land Banks and local units of government to help communities remove vacant and abandoned structures from their neighborhoods, allowing them to prepare for future developments that spark business investment and provide job opportunities for residents.

The $50,000 grant to the Village of Ontonagon will enable the village to tear down the former Wagar’s Restaurant on the main street in Ontonagon. The restaurant has been closed for years, is in dangerous condition and a blight on the business district, according to Village President Ken Waldrop.

The township grant will be used to tear down the house of the late Doug Filppula adjacent to the Township Park. It will be purchased by the park board seeded and become an area of the park where handicap visitors can sit and watch Lake Superior.

Three of the nine communities, the village of Ontonagon, West Branch and Manistee are participating in Project Rising Tide, a program run by the Talent and Economic Development Department of Michigan to provide at risk communities with tools needed to design and build a successful economic framework.

In addition to the resources and assistance from Project Rising Tide, grants will continue to help these communities establish long term sustainable changes to bring about overall prosperity, according to Senator Jim Stamas, R-Midland, who spearheaded the funding in the budget last year.

Waldrop, who made the removal of blight from the village a key issue for his term in office, said addressing of such blight is long overdue. He said the village becoming Land Bank eligible was key to the success. Waldrop said the old restaurant is the second such blighted building to be demolished. Earlier the village demolished the old courtesy garage across from the village offices.

Village Manager Joe Erickson said the award was a pleasant surprise and he was “pleased.” He added the demolition will be a big improvement to the business community and thanked the business owners who wrote letters in support of the grant. He also credited the work of the DDA, for the work they did on the issue.