With Iola City Council members rejecting overtures from a developer in February to convert an old nursing home into an apartment complex here, the fate of the empty, crumbling building shouldnt be neglected, one Council member said.
Councilwoman Nancy Ford, who lives near the old Iola Nursing Center on North Walnut Street, said the building is falling further into a state of disrepair, and meets many of the same criteria as condemned homes the city has ordered demolished.
Its time we roll on it, Ford said Monday.
Any costs to the city to have the building demolished should be recouped by the propertys owners, Ford continued.
They should pay for it, she said. We shouldnt have to.
Councilman Aaron Franklin noted he was absent from the Councils Feb. 25 meeting, during which the Council voted, 6-0, to reject a zoning application necessary to convert the facility into an apartment complex.
I understand the blight that property causes on the community, Franklin said. Im sorry I wasnt in on the conversation. It seems odd were going from shutting down somebody who wants to invest in a property to tearing it down.
Iola budgets $15,000 annually for property demolition, Franklin continued, while tearing down the old nursing home likely would cost in excess of $100,000.
Wheres the money going to come from? he asked.
Its going to come from the owners, Ford replied.
This is a tricky subject, Mayor Jon Wells interjected. Do we have to front the money or sue the company? Put it on the tax rolls?
Wells said the options facing the city should be investigated further before a decision is made.
THE COUNCIL ALSO said theyll look closer at Iolas downtown parking rules.
The city has fielded concerns regarding tenants renting downtown apartments who have been cited for vehicles left parked along the square after hours. The city forbids any such parking from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
