Aug. 28—The city of Albert Lea is seeking to demolish a series of blighted, abandoned buildings formerly owned by Merrick’s of Minnesota along West Front Street.
During its work session Monday, the Albert Lea City Council discussed removing the buildings and turning the space into a potential park that would be adjacent to a future trail network.
The property is currently owned by the city through tax forfeiture.
Albert Lea building and zoning official Wayne Sorensen said in 2016 in the middle of the night, Merrick’s abandoned the buildings, at 620 Adams Ave., leaving behind many things in the buildings, and in the years after, the buildings went into further disrepair, with many broken windows.
City Manager Ian Rigg said when the company “went belly up” and went bankrupt, it stopped paying taxes. In 2020, the large warehouse the company owned north of these buildings burned down, and the following year, in 2021, the city acquired the buildings through tax forfeiture. Sorensen said once under city ownership, the city secured the buildings, boarding up broken windows.
Over the next couple of months, the city will apply for an Environmental Protection Agency grant to assist in the cost to remove the buildings. Sorensen said the buildings still have a lot of equipment and other items in them, and there might be an opportunity to recoup some of the money from the sale of those items.
In an environmental site assessment, cleaning up the buildings is estimated at almost $217,000, including removal of pigeon infestation and droppings; water removal; waste container collection, consolidation and inventory; electronics and other regulated waste removal; and other waste collection and disposal.
Abatement is estimated at about $373,000 with air monitoring and oversight at about $60,000, plus the cost for the demolition itself. Rigg said there could be some additional costs to expect for soil remediation, though that is unknown at this time.
The total cost is estimated at about $1 million.
Rigg said the city plans to ask for a million dollars through the grant, though how much the city receives could range. He said he thought the project would be an attractive one as it would turn the blighted space into one used by the public that is incorporated into the future trail.
There are three concepts presently for the space. One shows the land converted into all green space. Another shows the green space plus the addition of parking areas, and a third has the green space, parking areas, a restroom and a gazebo.
Second Ward Councilor Larry Baker asked what the plans would be if the city did not receive the grant or if the project would be on hold until the city got assistance.
Rigg said if the city did not win the grant after the first application, it would apply at least one additional time before it made any significant decisions about whether to abandon the project.
He noted the property is not directly next to anyone’s home, though it still does not look good.
First Ward Councilor Rachel Christensen asked if the city would have to accept the grant if it only received enough to cover 20%, for example, or if it could decline and try to obtain more.
Rigg said in many grants, there is an opportunity to explain what would happen if entities did not receive the grant.