Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

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

Lake Ozark to close most of Strip for Bikefest

In an unprecedented move, the Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen has voted to close a large section of The Strip to vehicular traffic for 15 hours daily from Sept. 15-20 for Bikefest.

The unanimous decision was made during a special meeting Sept. 9 called by Mayor Dennis Newberry to address growing public pressure to take some type of action regarding parking of motorcycles on The Strip during the five-day Bikefest event. 

None of the previous Bikefest sponsors had stepped forward this year to request a permit from the city asking for the center lane of The Strip to be closed for motorcycle parking, leaving the lake-wide event with no real central location for gatherings. This year’s Bikefest sponsor, the Convention and Visitor Bureau, had not applied for a permit, either. Bike Week and Bikefest sponsor events all over the lake for motorcyclists, residents and visitors to enjoy, but most of the congregation of motorcycles is on The Strip.

As a result, social media erupted with mostly inaccurate claims and innuendoes about the city’s role in the process. City officials have noted several times that these types of events are not sponsored by the city, but the city allows use of its facilities so events can take place. It’s not the city’s role to seek out events, officials have said.

The move to bring the issue to the forefront was a combined effort of the CVB, two business owners, the Bagnell Dam Strip Association and Mayor Newberry and the Lake Ozark Police Department.

The city has authorized closure of The Strip for several hours during one-day events but has never closed The Strip for multiple days.

 

The plan

The ordinance approved by the board, crafted by City Attorney Christopher Rhorer and Police Chief Gary Launderville at the request of Mayor Dennis Newberry, authorizes the following:

•Bagnell Dam Blvd. will be closed from Ballenger Road east to the city limits which is just west of Bagnell Dam to vehicular traffic from 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Sept. 15 at 11 a.m. and ending at 2 a.m. Sept. 20.

•Vehicles that will be allowed within the area include motorcycles, three-wheel vehicles, emergency and delivery vehicles and other such vehicles as the Lake Ozark Police Department deems necessary.

•During the times and dates for closure, the center turn lane will be available for motorcycle parking at the risk of the owner of the motorcycle. The exception is areas clearly marked as necessary by the LOPD for the operation of emergency and delivery vehicles.

At the meeting, the Chief Launderville said:

“I have no issue with Bikefest. It brings some of the friendliest people that our police department has ever dealt with. But without an event application or any plans put in place, we have nowhere to go, and I have to do what I have to do as police chief to provide public safety for the entire city. We don’t allow center-lane parking without a special permit,” he said.

Heather Brown, executive director of the Convention and Visitor Bureau, told the board that she would have insurance, with the same level of protection as was provided for previous events, in place before the event; the local Boy Scout troop agreed to help with clean-up on Sunday, and the BDSA, which sponsors Hot Summer Nights, promised to leave the porta-potties and trash cans in place after their Friday night cruise-in. 

Launderville said he arranged for a private security company to assist law enforcement with traffic control.