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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

COVID-19 picture continues to improve in Lake area

Good news on the COVID-19 front for Miller, Morgan and Camden counties.

The Camden County Health Department, the Miller County Health Center and the Morgan County Health Center are reporting that there have not been any recent spikes in new positive COVID-19 cases with currently about 50 active cases despite fears the lake area would see an increase after the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Lake Ozark and a busier-than-normal spring retail scene. 

But the agencies say we shouldn’t relax our guard remind everyone to continue COVID-19 spread mitigation efforts such as masking and social distancing for unvaccinated populations to keep our communities safe and healthy.

The three counties combined have reported 8,142 confirmed cases with 174 COVID-19 related deaths since officials began keeping records in March 2020.

While many in our community are being vaccinated, not everyone has had the opportunity to be vaccinated yet, so we need to continue to be cautious. 

The health departments encourage everyone to be vaccinated, especially the high-risk populations. Since much of our economy is driven by tourism, they also see the importance of prioritizing those working in the service industry. Even if younger people are not as likely to get severely ill, they can still transmit it to the vulnerable. These residents are exposed to hundreds of people every day from all over the country here to enjoy our beautiful lake, so it makes sense for them to protect themselves against COVID-19 infection which will reduce their family and friend’s risk too.

The Lake Area’s three public health departments continue to work with local and state health officials to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. The State of Missouri released recently that those in Phase 2 became eligible for vaccine on March 29 and Phase 3 will become eligible on April 9. Visit covidvaccine.mo.gov to view the State’s phase and tier priority list and to register for potential vaccination clinics. The vaccine is free and can be obtained at many locations in central Missouri.

The agencies recommend businesses to adopt policies requiring the use of masks by their unvaccinated staff. Especially those employees that cannot distance themselves from co-workers and customers such as employees at restaurants, bars, gas docks, and salons. 

For more information for fully vaccinated people, visit CDC’s site: https://www.cdc.gov/…/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html.