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Fort Scott commission approves demolition proceedings for multiple blighted properties
Summary
The commission approved demolition resolutions for seven dilapidated properties after staff said owners had not or could not make repairs. The actions advance formal proceedings to remove public-safety hazards in the city.
The Fort Scott City Commission on Sept. 3 approved a series of demolition resolutions for residential properties the city found to be structurally unsafe or abandoned.
City codes staff described buildings with collapsed roofs, structural failures, long-term vacancy, exposed interiors and repeated code violations. Commissioners authorized formal demolition proceedings for the following addresses (motions and roll-call votes taken separately): 1721 East Wall; 323 West Wall; 1619 East Pine; 1105 Scott; 402 South Lomond; 418 South Couch; and others listed on the agenda. Staff said property owners were notified and in several cases had been offered options but had not completed repairs or pursued remediation.
Commissioners discussed the process: approval begins formal proceedings that preserve owner notice and opportunity to respond; if the city ultimately removes a structure, costs can be certified to the property. Commissioners also noted some owners or heirs lacked resources to repair structures and that public safety concerns required action.
Each demolition resolution was approved on roll call. Staff will follow required notice and publishing steps and return to the commission with cost estimates and scheduling information for actual removal work if owners do not comply.
The commission emphasized that demolition proceedings are a last resort after outreach and that the goal is public-safety risk mitigation and neighborhood stability.
