Properties were the topic of discussion at the Blue Earth City Council meeting Tuesday night.
First up was a public hearing on the abatement of the property at 620 E. 7th St. One resident did raise concerns over the conditions and the blocking of the sidewalk in front of the property. The Council voted unanimously to give the owner until July 10th to get the outside of the property in compliance with the city code and if not taken care of the city will then get a court order to take care of the abatement issues.
The Council also discussed what to do with the former Kerr-McGee property, as the Blue Earth American Legion has expressed interest in making it the site of a Veteran’s Memorial. The city has received interest from at least one other party in the availability of the property. It was decided to give the legion until September 30th to give the city a written proposal for the Veterans Memorial before entertaining any other offers for the property.
The final property discussion involved code enforcement at 401 S Galbraith, as the home suffered severe fire damage around a year ago and may be considered a hazardous building. The Council agreed to ask a judge to issue a search warrant to have the residence inspected by a building inspector and licensed contractor to see what it would take to get it up to code or if it should be demolished. Depending on what action the owner takes, a public hearing could be held in the future to see what the next steps would be for the City.