A real estate transaction may resolve a longstanding blight issue within the city of Ely.
City officials indicated this week that a home, long deemed uninhabitable, at 45 East Boundary Street has been sold.
New owners are committed to making repairs ordered by the city, and the transaction will allow the city to collect $16,000 in fines that had been assessed against property owners Jason Gillson and Mark Herman.
But Gillson and Herman have since sold the property to an unidentified buyer, city attorney Kelly Klun confirmed to council members Tuesday.
Klun said the city was holding an insurance check related to damage to the property and that has now been released, with the former owners receiving about $21,505 and another $16,000 to the city.
“That would bring them whole in terms of the fines with the city,” said Klun.
The city assessed fines after the former property owners failed to make ordered repairs, in a matter that has dragged on for more than a year and at times frustrated city officials.
The saga began when the home was set on fire in September, 2023.
Since then, the city has struggled to get the former property owners to complete a list of 16 improvements ordered last year.
All but three of the improvements were either not done or are partially done, according to a report submitted by Doug Whitney, the city’s building inspector.
Another, the repair of broken doors and windows, was apparently done without a city building permit, or inspections.
The home was declared uninhabitable by the city and Whitney explained that damage came first via fire, which destroyed the electrical system and other part of the home, and more recently when water lines froze.
Whitney said some work was done last year without a permit. Permits were later obtained for mechanical and plumbing work, and that work either failed to be done or was done without inspections.
Currently, no one is allowed to live at the property and work must be completed during daytime hours.
According to an Oct. 13 memo to the council, clerk-treasurer Harold Langowski indicated that “the new owner is committed to repairing the violations on the property.
The update was part of a brief, roughly 30-minute council meeting Tuesday at City Hall.
In other business, the council:
• Approved land transactions that put the Old Ford Garage property in city hands and the old Depot property to East Chapman Properties.
The swap relates to the redevelopment of the old Depot property and plans to use the Ford Garage property as a parking lot for a new hotel planned for the old Community Center building.
• Got an update from Langowski about a meeting with the State Senate’s Capital Investment Committee about Ely’s request for state bonding funds for the Burntside Water Main Project.
“I thought it went real well,” said Langowski. “There were some familiar faces on both the House and Senate committees, and our representative, Roger (Skraba) is on the House side. We’ve got a good advocate there of course. We’ll have opportunities down the road (to further lobby) once the legislature starts.”
• Approved payments of about $42,900 over five years to equip Ely police officers with body cameras.
Council members approved a body camera policy earlier this fall.
• Approved spending $42,500 to purchase a new Dodge Ram for the city’s utilities department.
• Heard the city will collect $14,168 over three years for assessments related to a blighted property.
• Noted the completion of the Harvey Street Project.
“I’ve had people email me about how they like the new lights,” said Langowski. “These are new style lights that we’ve put on Sheridan as well. As we continue to do projects these are the lights we will utilize, but we are not replacing all our lights.”
• Heard that the fire department will be putting old, no longer used equipment up for auction.
• Approved a recommendation from the city’s Projects Committee and will proceed with advertising for bids on the fire garage.
• Approved a residential rehabilitation loan for Dennis and Rosemary Wickman.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the Ely Blue Line Club to apply for a raffle permit.
