Christiansen Appointed Chief - City of Lake Ozark

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.

Posted on January 5, 2023, Edited January 5, 2023 by harrison

Christiansen Appointed Chief

In a special session of the Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen held on January 5, 2023, Mr. Jeff Christiansen was
appointed with a unanimous vote to serve as the city’s next Police Chief.

Christiansen comes to the city with over 27 years of professional law enforcement experience, most recently
serving the citizens of Linn Creek, Missouri as their Police Chief. Prior to his work in Linn Creek, Christiansen
spent 26 years at the DuPage County, Illinois Sheriff’s Office, progressing through their patrol and detective
divisions, and eventually serving as a Sergeant within their civil division and accreditation and training
programs. His professional service includes volumes of experience in training and development, grants, patrol
functions, accreditation, and supervision.

He possesses a BA and MS in criminal social justice from Lewis University, and is a 2012 graduate of the
Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command. While working for the DuPage County
Sheriff’s Office, Christiansen also worked as an adjunct instructor at Aurora University for a period of 15 years,
where he was a founding member of their criminal justice advisory board. He has worked at the College of
DuPage as a GED instructor and coordinator as well. He has also has years of experience as an accreditation
manager, trainer, and contractor for a series of coroners’ offices in Illinois.

Outside of his professional experiences, Christiansen is a co-founder of Celebrate Differences, which is a notfor-profit supporting people with disabilities and their families. He has extensive involvement with the special
needs community for the past 18 years, also co-founding the A Pinch of Happiness Spice Shop in Camdenton,
Missouri.

During his appointment, Christiansen stated that he was “looking forward to getting started soon and to
continue the work of making the agency better. I am excited to work with the officers, dispatchers, board and
department heads to make progress, and appreciate the thorough and well-vetted hiring process.”
At the meeting, Mayor Newberry thanked the members of the hiring committee that helped to identify
Christiansen as the next Police Chief. Christiansen will be sworn into the role at the Board of Aldermen
meeting on January 10, 2023 at 6:00 P.M.