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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

City launches new and improved website

The City of Lake Ozark has a new, user friendly website designed to provide residents and visitors with current, accurate information about the community.

The city initiated an in-house website in December 2019 that began to give viewers better access to city government and details about on-going projects and events. In early January 2020, the city became more proactive in communicating its story to the public by posting stories and photos about life in Lake Ozark on its website and Facebook page, and by sending those stories to local media.

“For the last few years, we’ve wanted to make Lake Ozark city government more transparent and available to not only our residents but the public in general,” City Administrator Dave Van Dee said. “Lake Ozark is a fast-growing community with new residents choosing to live here and with existing businesses expanding and new businesses opening. Developing a website was a natural part of the process.”

After the in-house website was created, city officials wanted to expand the city’s presence with a municipally driven website so residents and visitors could become even better informed. In late 2020, the board of aldermen joined with TownWeb, a nationally known website developer focused on creating interactive websites for municipalities.

The new website – with same URL www.cityoflakeozark.net – was launched in March. City staff was trained and after a brief transition period the website is active with a menu of options.

“As the city continues to build on being a customer-focused organization, we saw the opportunity to rebuild our website so that it can be a user-friendly tool for folks to access information,” Assistant City Administrator and Community Development Director Harrison Fry explained. “With some of its new capabilities, we have been able to increase transparency about our operations by making more information immediately available to the public. Where we once had a website that was difficult to manage and navigate, we now have a cutting-edge platform for two-way communication with the public.”

These include:

•Easy online utility and court fee payment system.

•The ability to subscribe to current News and Notices and Emergency Alerts.

•The ability to subscribe to Agendas and Minutes for the various boards and commissions.

•An archive of board, commission and committee agendas and minutes.

•Various city reports and forms.

•A current calendar of not only city-related meetings but also events that impact the city.

•A scrolling gallery of photos of current events and scenes reflecting the City of Lake Ozark.

•A permanent gallery of photos from recent events, activities and scenery.

•A Frequently Asked Questions option.

•A How Do I… option regarding a long list of ways to connect to the city.

•Contact information for city staff.

Please check out the website, again at www.cityoflakeozark.net.

Email publicinfo@cityoflakeozark.net or HFry@cityoflakeozark.net.