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Resident urges downtown revitalization and a new park; city attorney says grants available but owners cannot be forced
Summary
Diane Hoverson asked the council to address rundown downtown buildings, proposed converting the former Central School into a park and suggested recruiting a Pizza Ranch; City Attorney Rob Fleming and Administrator Nick Ziegelmann responded that the Storefront Improvement grant exists but the City cannot compel private owners to renovate, and characterized scooter safety largely as a parental responsibility.
A Grafton resident called on the City Council to act on downtown deterioration and proposed a park redevelopment and business recruitment plan.
During the public-comment portion of the June 8 meeting, Diane Hoverson said she was "very disappointed" by the condition of some downtown buildings after five years and asked why owners could not be required to fix up properties. She suggested the former Central School on Griggs Avenue be converted into a city park with a gazebo for Sunday-night live music to draw the community together and said she had met with the State Director for Rural Development about available state funds and discussed recruiting a Pizza Ranch to the Frosty Fox building, calling such a tenant potentially "the saving grace for Grafton." Hoverson also raised safety concerns about electric scooters driven by young children around town.
City Attorney Rob Fleming responded during the unfinished-business portion of the meeting that the City offers a Storefront Improvement grant to business owners to make improvements but "the City cannot force them to do so." Fleming said efforts to redevelop the former Central School property are under way but moving slowly. Administrator Nick Ziegelmann echoed that scooter issues "are an issue in every community" and framed enforcement as necessary only if riders violate ordinances, otherwise calling it a parental responsibility; he advised residents to call police when riders are acting in a dangerous or reckless fashion.
The council did not take formal action on redeveloping the Central School site during the meeting; council members referred the matter to standing committees (Economic Development and Beautification) that have been working on Storefront Improvement guidelines and a planned park called Monarch Alley.
