Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

Hearing set on blighted property in Ironwood

By RALPH ANSAMI

[email protected]

Ironwood — The Ironwood City Commission has scheduled a Monday, Dec. 28, 5:25 p.m. public hearing on a blight violation at 603 Cherry Place.

Blight control officer Jason Alonen on Monday showed slides of how the property had previously been blighted and cleaned up to the tune of $3,800 at the city’s expense. Now, the parcel is blighted again.

Since the unidentified parcel owner is a repeat offender who was previously cited, commissioners were told the city had sent out a second notice and the third one was mailed out on Monday.

City manager Scott Erickson reported Monday that six more blighted structures are scheduled to be torn down over the winter as part of the Hardest Hit grant the city received.

Since the parcels are “smaller residential ones,” Erickson said there’s a good chance they may be demolished this winter, weather permitting, but the formal deadline for completion is in June.

After that, another five eyesores in the city will be demolished under the grant.

Commissioners asked if the city might be able to tackle more than 27 blighted structures under the grant with the money available, but Erickson said the city has been “capped” at 27.

The city and the Gogebic County Land Bank Authority are partners in the $675,000 Hardest Hit grant.