Sheldon postpones demolition to build support

Nevada Daily Mail

Sheldon aldermen will discuss the Community Development Block Grant in detail with property owners over the next year, in an effort to build support for the program, which will provide funds for demolishing dilapidated buildings.

Austin Mount, executive director of Kaysinger Basin Regional Planning Commission, attended the Sheldon Board of Aldermen meeting Thursday, to explain the steps for applying for the grant next spring.

The town attempted to apply for the grant this April, but fell short of the 50 percent property owner participation needed to proceed; five out of 20 property owners responded.

"We'd like to offer support over the next 12 months on trying to help you put together some type of community effort to engage these property owners," Mount said. "Do you want to take a nice, warm, fuzzy approach or an enforcement approach? We see that it works both ways. Appleton City and Butler did the warm approach. Clinton took the enforcement approach. Being a small town, you don't want to upset your community. I would encourage you to try to find the warm, fuzzy, approach."

He said education on the details of the grant and highlighting the minimal cost of participation and retention of ownership was key to garnering support.

"If we take the time to educate people, you'll see a lot more come on board," he said. "I would like to see, out of the 20 properties, 17 or 18 participate."

In addition to building support, Mount said the commission would help with proving past effort to increase the likelihood of getting the grant.

"We need to show something in past efforts in town cleanup," he said. "One city did a demolition effort and took down one building to show the people really want the grant and to clean up the town. The (grant committee) want to see you have done something to alleviate the blight in your town. My suggestion would be getting together with some not-for-profit groups in town to purchase a building and tear it down."

Phyllis Sprenkle said the town needed a long-term plan for demolition, a building inspector to decide what needs to come down first, another letter sent to property owners to ask them if they want to sell or donate their property and another meeting to foster communication and education.

"I think informal, personal conversations will be less threatening and more apt to be seen as teamwork and not confrontational," Alderman Robert Moran added.

In other business, Josh Lamb and Perry Fowler were sworn in as newly elected aldermen and Moran was appointed board president.

In old business, Mayor Jerod Lamb suggested inspecting and measuring the bandstand area May 10, after the vision meeting. He favored repairing the bandstand, pouring concrete and putting up a covering rather than building a new bandstand.

Moran brought up the possibility that the bandstand would be moved in the long-term, if the community supported closing Sixth Street and making the park two blocks.

"We can close the street for the Old Settler's Picnic and not reopen it," he said.

In her report, Marlene Moran told the aldermen of the library's plans to hold a carnival at the community building on May 17 to raise funds for the library.

"We're planning several activities and will do a baked good walk," she said. "We're planning some outdoor activities too in the park. We'll also have story time."