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Hibbing seeks grant and awards contract to remove unsafe north grandstand at Raceway
Summary
Hibbing City Council authorized applying for an IRRRB redevelopment grant to remove the deteriorating north wooden grandstand at the Hibbing Raceway and awarded a $41,800 low bid for demolition, citing public-safety concerns and limited volunteer capacity for major repairs.
Hibbing City Council on Sept. 18 approved a resolution to apply for an Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board commercial redevelopment grant to remove the deteriorating north wooden grandstand at the Hibbing Raceway and later awarded a demolition contract to the low bidder, Bogolis Inc.
City Service Director Nick Rolla told the council contractors will not commit to major repairs and the structure poses a public-safety risk after two years of nonuse. "Looking at that, our best option at this point is to take it down, take that hazard away," Rolla said as he asked council permission to pursue grant funding and later to award the demolition contract.
Council first authorized Resolution 24-09-10 to allow Hibbing to apply for and accept IRRRB funds if awarded. Later in the meeting staff presented bids for the demolition; Rolla said demo funds would cover roughly half the demolition cost and presented Bogolis Inc.'s low bid of $41,800. Council voted to award the demolition contract.
The city described the structure as in need of major renovation or removal and said contractors had declined commitments for major repairs. The resolution and contract award are intended to remove the immediate public-safety hazard and position the site for future planning.
Council members voted without recorded dissent. The demolition contract and the grant application both received motions and carried unanimously at the meeting. The council did not set an exact demolition start date during the meeting.
