By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Dowagiac's Brownfield Redevelopment Authority Tuesday afternoon adopted the resolution necessary to issue $810,000 bonds for removing Central Middle School.
Interim City Manager Rozanne Scherr said this bond issue covers expenses for demolition, site preparation and the parking lot.
Later, there will be another bond issue covering infrastructure costs necessary for the private housing development along Spruce Street.
City Economic Development Director Sandy Gower said Monday night the panel will appoint the city to handle its finances in much the same way the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) does.
Two related accounts will be established at Huntington National Bank.
Gower said the bond will be repaid from captured tax revenues once the private housing development that will share the Central site with the medical arts facility gets under way.
"They expect it will take, from start to finish, 30 to 45 days" to demolish Central, Gower said.
Asbestos abatement is expected to begin Thursday.
Monday night City Council adopted its resolution pledging limited tax full faith and credit of the city as second security.
In the event of a shortfall of tax increment revenues, Dowagiac would be required to advance sufficient funds to pay debt surface on the bonds.
Council members forwarded questions they have received about citizens obtaining souvenir bricks to the administration.
"Salvage is done," Gower said. "Little League is getting 1,000 bricks. That was pre-arranged. Because of the danger of having people on-site with it fenced in, we couldn't come up with a way to make that work – for people to just go in and take bricks. They're actually going to grind those bricks and use them for fill on-site."
Third Ward Councilman Dr. Charles Burling noted the health department's announcement in the paper that the dental clinic is expected to open April 1.
"With this time schedule," the dentist said, "it doesn't seem probable that they will have the building down and the parking lot in" by then.
"Realistically, I think it's going to be more like May 1."
"Can we allow occupancy without parking?" Burling added.
"That's under discussion," Gower said.
"There may be the ability to temporarily park some cars on-site and not have the full parking lot done yet."
Other vehicles could park on the street.
"If everything goes according to schedule," Gower said, "the actual demolition will be done before April 1. The contractor said 30 days and we've been saying 45" to allow leeway for unpredictable Michigan weather.
"Once the asbestos is out, the building can come down pretty easily so long as we don't have a couple of blizzards in there."
First Ward Councilman Darron Murray inquired whether Central would be imploded or taken down with a wrecking ball. "They aren't imploding it," Gower responded.
Third Ward Councilman Leon Laylin pointed out that the curb cut also needs to be made so one-way traffic can exit the medical arts facility west onto Main Street.
Laylin said using the existing Central parking lot "would not be advisable" because it would be on the opposite side from medical arts, with demolition excavation in between.