Lake County News Chronicle Two Harbors, Minnesota, USA http://www.twoharborsmn.com/articles/index.cfm?id=14998
01/26/2007 Dream A Little Dream (of community gardening?) The eyesore is no more. The former Bell Circle Apartments in Silver Bay have been removed and the property is ready for a new use. What will that new use be? Homesites, another apartment complex, dance hall, open space, community garden, all of the above? Well, the Silver Bay City Council is asking you to dream a little dream. Seeking input from the community about possible future uses for the city-owned property, the council will host a public hearing Monday, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m. at city hall. The Bell Circle saga began after the shutdown of Reserve Mining back in 1986, as scores of employees at the taconite plant were forced out of town in search of other work. Suddenly, housing space was ample and property values crashed. The apartment complex grew less and less occupied, and the site grew more and more haggard, and eventually sat vacant for nearly two decades. Persistent efforts to get the owners to clean up the site were ignored for at least a decade. In 1999, the community decided that enough was enough and the city council, along with the Lake County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, moved to begin the condemnation process, a task that took five years to complete. The owners were paid for their property, no matter the sorry state it had fallen into, and the city took over ownership. With help through the Iron Range Resources board the city was able to defray some of the costs of clearing the property and dealing with the hazardous materials such as lead and asbestos. By 2004, when the valuation was determined for the site, area property values had risen and the condemnation commission set the value at $140,000. The owners disagreed, but a jury later determined the value fair. Now city officials are asking for input on what to do at the site. There is some hope that the property could be sold, or at least a portion of the property, to offset some of the costs that were taken on during the condemnation efforts. Strange as it seems, a property can go to pot, can become an eyesore and then be jettisoned by the owner, and a community still has to pay for some part of that mess in order to solve the problem. That?s all behind the city now, and a new opportunity exists for residents to shape a community space. The council is hoping to hear your ideas. Residents can also submit written comments, or call the city at (218) 226-4408. Dream a little dream.
