Commissioners direct staff to draft resolution to declare former county home excess and outline demolition specs

Commissioners discussed the deteriorating condition of the former county home at "Gold Meadow" and directed staff to prepare a draft resolution that would declare the building and site excess property and begin the process of demolition and disposition.

Planning staff member Mark summarized options and costs involved in demolition, noting the parcel is about 11 to 12 acres. Board members and staff debated whether to demolish all structures and return the site to aclean lot suitable for agriculture or future building, or to salvage reusable structures such as a barn. The discussion covered septic and leach-field work (which would need to be crushed and filled), removal or grinding of building materials, and whether to include the tower and outbuildings in demolition specifications.

Commissioners sounded wary of transferring the property as-isto a private buyer because of the risk that an undercapitalized buyer might let the site become derelict. They agreed that cleaning the site before sale would reduce community blight risks. Mark was asked to bring back draft demolition bid specifications and a resolution to officially declare the property excess.

Ending: Mark will draft a resolution declaring the county home excess and prepare demolition bid specifications that capture building removal, leach-field closure and other site cleanup items; the board will review the draft at a future meeting.