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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

Lake Ozark makes final payment on City Hall

It’s been a long time coming.

Those were the words of Lake Ozark City Administrator Dave Van Dee who announced to the board of aldermen recently that the City Hall building at 3162 Bagnell Dam Blvd. will be paid off this month.

Former Mayor Johnnie Franzeskos and former Alderman Joe Barfield were instrumental in developing a lease-purchase agreement in 2009 with building owner Larry Shields. While it took a few years longer to make the final payment due to budget challenges, the final payment of $60,545.28 was handed to Shields Thursday afternoon.

The former city hall was located at 2624 Bagnell Dam Blvd. behind a car wash and was deemed inadequate as the city’s staff and public needs began to grow in the mid-2000s. The Lake Ozark Police Department was housed in an even smaller building a half block off The Strip. City officials decided to combine the City Hall and LOPD into one building to better serve the public.

The move into the current building was made in September 2009. 

Van Dee, who joined the city later that year and who has helped guide the lease-purchase agreement through tough budget times, said the city will reallocate the payments for building maintenance and possible upgrade.

 

Photo Caption

From left are former Mayor Johnnie Franzeskos, former Alderman Joe Barfield and Larry Shields, who received the final payment on the City Hall.