Marathon authorizes apartments to be razed
Contractor estimate sought
The Village of Marathon City village board last week Wednesday granted administrator Andy Kurtz authority to pursue a raze order against buildings at 600, 606 and 608 Main Street if a contractor’s estimate indicates that repairs on the apartments would exceed half the cost of their value.
State law says that any property with a repair bill that exceeds half of their value is considered unrepairable and subject to a court raze order.
Kurtz said owner of the building, Scott Stollenwerk, Kentucky, has hired contractors to begin repairs on the apartments, but the village has halted the work because the contractors have failed to properly fill out a building permit form. The administrator said the village, which has had issues with the apartment buildings for a decade, does not want superficial repairs to the buildings, but only significant structural repairs such that the building will meet the village’s recently approved building code.
Kurtz said there is ongoing communication between the village and Stollenwerk, but not much progress. “There has been a lot of conversations between our attorney and their attorney,” he said.
Kurtz said Stollenwerk has sent contractors back to the apartments to start work but the village has, again, intervened and halted the construction because of a lack of a building permit.
“They are trying to circumvent the system,” the administrator alleged. “We are only asking them to be real contractors and to hold them to a higher bar.”
Kurtz said the village would normally deal with a property manager to settle building code issues but, in this case, there is no building manager.
The administrator said it will likely take some time to get a contractor’s estimate of what it will take to repair the apartments to a village building code standard. He said that any estimate would include the cost of fixing what is visibly wrong, but also include an estimate for repairing other, related problems that would come to light once construction would start.
The apartment buildings are commercial structures. State approved plans for major remodeling will be required, Kurtz said. If the repair estimate exceeds the 50 percent state threshold, Kurtz said he would seek a raze order in Marathon County Circuit Court.
Should a raze order would be granted, Kurtz said Stollenwerk would have between 30 and 45 days to demolish the apartment buildings. If that doesn’t happen, the village can raze the buildings and charge the cost of demolition to Stollenwerk’s property tax bill. The property owner will be required to plant grass on the razed parcels, Kurtz said, and keep the grass properly mowed.
In other board business:
_ Board members agreed to annex 13.7 acres of land owned by Ralph, Jenny and Todd Kramer and 8.2 acres of state right of way into the village from the town of Stettin.
The property and roadway sits on the northern border of the village along STH 107.
Administrator Kurtz said the annexation means the village will be able to pursue erecting a streetlamp on the STH 107/29 overpass which has been criticized as being too dark.
The village, Kurtz reminded trustees, has long sought a frontage road across the Kramer property to 152nd Ave. where the village has extended utilities for development projects.
_ Kurtz told board members the village recently suffered a massive, 75,000 gallon water break on First Street between Washington and Market Streets when the valve on a 1933-era hydrant failed while being flushed. Water from a main damaged a major section of the street.
_ Board members approved a village reserve fund investment policy through Ehler’s Associates and TD Ameritrade. The village will be able to earn up to 1.5 percent interest on its reserve fund, said village president Dave Bellanger, which is a multiple of what it now earns on its bank account.
_ Board members agreed to meet Wednesday, June 9, to discuss reshuffl ing the village’s five-year street plan and possibly borrowing money to finance numerous asphalt patching projects in the village, including blacktopping on First Street.
_ The village board agreed to hire two seasonal workers, Allie Hanke and Preston Weber.
_ Administrator Kurtz announced he plans to use $149,000 in American Rescue Act funds to extend sanitary sewer and water mains to the Little Lions day care center and new site for Veterans Park.
_ Board members agreed to reduce the village’s contribution to Police Chief Kory Gertschen’s retirement from 100 percent to 11.84 percent, the state minimum, and raise his salary accordingly. The village will realize a $1,500 savings.
Stollenwerk apartment
Kramer property to be annexed
