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City of Lake Ozark Awarded $300,000 Community Development Block Grant for Demolition Project: Lake Ozark, MO — The City of Lake Ozark has been named the recipient of a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Missouri Department of Economic Development to support a $433,030 building demolition project focused on improving safety and redevelopment opportunities in the Bagnell Dam Strip area. The remaining $133,030 required to complete the project will be provided to the City by the property owner, Reese Development. As a result of the grant award, 23 structures on and around the historic Bagnell Dam Strip will be demolished. All properties included in the project are owned by Reese Development. Among the structures slated for demolition is the former Shoreland Motel located on the Bagnell Dam Strip. Additional buildings included in the project consist of a series of residential and commercial structures located along Carls Drive, Ballenger Road, Thornsberry Road, Beach Drive, and School Road. These structures were determined eligible for CDBG funding due to their advanced state of blight and lack of structural safety, in accordance with adopted building codes. Several of the buildings contain asbestos and other environmental contaminants, and all have been formally certified by the City as dangerous buildings. Buildings were prioritized based on safety concerns, structural deterioration, and overall risk to the public. To qualify for the grant, each structure was required to have been vacant for an extended period of time. Demolition work associated with this project is expected to commence in 2026. “We are proud to partner with the City of Lake Ozark and the Missouri Department of Economic Development to continue the momentum of the last two years on the historic Bagnell Dam Strip,” stated Peter Colovos, Chief Operating Officer of Reese Development. “Brick by brick and block by block we are committed to redeveloping this jewel of the Midwest,” he added. Reese Development has invested more than $600,000 over the last two years in cleaning up the Strip and demolishing dilapidated structures. City Administrator Harrison Fry expressed appreciation for the state’s support:“We are grateful to the State of Missouri for recognizing the opportunity to breathe new life into the Bagnell Dam Strip corridor. This project begins by removing long-standing, dilapidated structures so that safe, meaningful redevelopment can move forward. I would also like to thank Reese Development for their cooperation and commitment to property revitalization, as well as grant writer Tonya Raines for preparing a successful application that made this project possible.” For more information, please contact the City of Lake Ozark.

TEST TW WEATHER

Posted on by dan

Board, chief laud donor for support of LOPD

The outpouring of support for the Lake Ozark Police Department continues.

Two weeks after Dennis Reese and Springfield Armory donated new weapons and accessories for every LOPD officer including reserves, a Lake Ozark businessman has donated $7,500 strictly for use by the department for the benefit of its officers.

Police Chief Gary Launderville reported at the regular Sept. 14 board of aldermen meeting that George Tucker, owner of Tucker’s Shuckers on The Strip, handed him a check recently.

The board then adopted a resolution expressing the city’s appreciation.

Chief Launderville told the board that he took a call from Tucker about a month ago asking what he could do for LOPD officers. Tucker said he wanted to make sure any donation would go to LOPD officers.

The chief explained that because of budgetary restrictions, any donation couldn’t be put in the in the city’s general fund with guarantees it would be used for the LOPD. He said Tucker insisted the money be used for the LOPD and not for general city expenses such as filling potholes.

“I want this for the betterment of the police officers,” he told the chief.

The only way that could happen, Launderville explained, was for a donation be made to the Lake Ozark Police Benevolent Police Association.

“I was expecting a $500 check,” Launderville said. “About a week and a half later, George walked through the door with a $7,500 check. For a local businessman to step up and do something like that, the same as Denny Reese, and then you look at the donations we’ve received the last 30 days it’s amazing. Our department truly appreciates it.”

Launderville noted that the donation is not a donation to the City of Lake Ozark but to a totally separate, non-profit organization for the betterment of the officers or the department. When equipment is not in the LOPD budget, the Benevolent Association steps up and helps, he explained. 

“It benefits the City of Lake Ozark, it benefits the community,” Launderville said. “We don’t do fund raisers because Lord knows we don’t have time. We rely on donations and the goodwill of the community.”

 

The resolution

It says:

George Tucker has been instrumental in the redevelopment of the Bagnell Dam Strip, having established Tucker’s Shuckers Oysters & Tap and Neon Taco.

The city would like to recognize Mr. Tucker’s community leadership, support and generosity to the city including a substantial donation of $7,500 recently made to the Police Benevolent Fund.

The board of aldermen publicly expresses its appreciation to Mr. Tucker for his generosity to the police Benevolent Fund and his other contributions to our community.