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CDBG demolition grant, voluntary demolitions increase nuisance‑property removals; city authorizes asbestos testing
Summary
Enterprise reported dozens of nuisance‑property owners signing up for a $450,000 CDBG demolition grant; council authorized pre-demolition asbestos and lead testing not to exceed $75,000.
Enterprise City Council reviewed progress on nuisance‑property abatements and a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) demolition program the city says is prompting voluntary property owners to remove unsafe structures.
City staff said the city received a $450,000 demolition grant from ADECA on an 80/20 basis; staff said the city is providing the 20 percent match. That program is open to homeowners and other property owners interested in voluntary demolition; staff reported multiple property owners from the nuisance list have signed up voluntarily.
“We had a $450,000 grant from ADECA to do that. And, I think that was on an 80/20 basis. So we provided 20% of those funds,” City Administrator Jonathan Mayer told the council. Mayer said the grant and the city’s nuisance‑property program are producing results: staff reported 21 property owners had already signed up to mitigate or demolish properties and the overall list had moved into the 40s when recent voluntary enrollments were added.
The council also approved a task order (Task Order 63) with Poly Incorporated to perform pre‑demolition asbestos and lead sampling, testing and reporting at a cost not to exceed $75,000. City staff explained the testing is required to determine whether abatement is necessary before demolition can proceed and to estimate mitigation costs.
Staff reminded the council of the nuisance program goal of referring 20 units per quarter to the council; staff said the program is currently ahead of that target because some owners chose voluntary demolition rather than waiting for judicial action.
Council members and staff said the voluntary participation reduces the need to pursue costly judicial demolitions and speeds cleanup of blighted parcels in neighborhoods.
Next steps include continuing to take voluntary enrollments for the CDBG demolition program, conducting asbestos and lead testing on targeted properties, and bringing abatement contracts to council when testing and scopes are complete.
