LAHARPE LaHarpe may soon have tiny homes as part of its housing stock.
Local businessman Ray Maloney told City Council members Wednesday he has reached a tentative agreement with Fort Scott Community College to have students build the small-scale homes at the Regional Rural Technical Center.
As part of the memorandum of understanding, Maloney told Council members he had agreed to purchase the first home.
Construction likely would not begin for a year, he noted.
A few bureaucratic hurdles remain, such as revamping city ordinances that prohibit houses as small as 500 square-feet. Council members suggested they would have no problem making such a concession.
Maloney anticipated the homes being between 500 and 700 square feet.
I didnt want them too narrow, because then theyd look like trailer houses, Maloney said.
Each home would have two bedrooms, one bath and an open floor plan.
Ideally, the city would adjust its neighborhood incentive plans to include the small homes as well, Maloney noted.
In other housing news, Council members accepted a bid from Maloney the only one received to demolish a two-story home at 1012 S. Washington St.
Owners had begun demolition several months ago, but abandoned the effort, leaving a shell of the structure.
Maloneys bid was to do the work at a cost of $135 per hour, and a total cost not to exceed $2,750.
A 2018 grant from the Health Forward Foundation has paid off in another way, in the form of lower utility costs.
Wellness coordinator Linda Womesldorf told Council members the electric bill has dropped an average of $300 a month after new energy-efficient LED lighting was installed throughout City Hall.
Another grant is being sought for the upcoming year to fund Womelsdorfs salary and provide additional equipment for the citys fitness center.
