City moves to restrict pedestrian vehicles - 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 March 24, 2021 by dan

City moves to restrict pedestrian vehicles

The City of Lake Ozark has taken yet another step to help ensure the safety of visitors and residents along Bagnell Dam Blvd.

The board of aldermen approved first reading of an amended ordinance that prohibits the use of any motorized or non-motorized pedestrian vehicles in a commercially zoned district including, but not limited to, bicycles, skateboards, scooters, Segways and hoverboards. Second reading is expected at the next regular board meeting April 13.

The city installed hand sanitizing stations in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared as another safety measure for residents and visitors.

The primary focus of the ordinance is The Strip, which has seen an increase in the use of the small, motorized pedestrian vehicles as the area becomes more and more popular. Residential streets are not included in the new restrictions.

“The Strip is a very busy place and we don’t allow skateboards currently,” City Administrator Dave Van Dee explained. “We were recently asked about hoverboards and we thought for safety reasons we needed to address the trend and expand our ordinance and include the other types of motorized vehicles.”

Police Chief Gary Launderville said he found that several cities have similar ordinances in place to help protect the safety of not only pedestrians but also riders. He noted that there have been incidences where one or more individuals have been seen riding hoverboards after dark, which poses additional safety issues.

Van Dee said signs will be erected to inform the public once the ordinance is approved next month. Signs are currently in place prohibiting skateboards.

The ordinance excludes medically prescribed motorized pedestrian devices. needed for a person to navigate the streets.