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Bergland store clean-up from 2013 fire underway

It was on October 12, 2013 that fire destroyed the Bergland Food Store in Bergland. The store was formerly known as Nordines. The debris left by the fire has not only been an eyesore for the community but has drawn the ire of local residents for close to 3 years.

The Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region, commonly known as WUPPDR, has worked closely with and on behalf of Bergland Township to obtain the grant funding, agency coordination and environmental compliance, machinery, and manpower to remove the debris left from the fire.

Steve Lasco, WUPPDR Project Manager, states that efforts to clean up and remove debris from the fire began on Monday, August 15th, by removing the gas pumps and island structure. The demolition and remediation services, provided by U.P. Environmental Services of Bark River, which was the lowest of three bidders on the project, proceeded with removal of asbestos-containing boards on Tuesday, while building demolition began on Wednesday. Plans are for the site to be returned to an empty, level grade no later than the end of next week.

  • Folks in Bergland have lived with this blighted drain on their community for far too long,” commented Lasco. “We received the notice of grant funding in February 2016, but due to asbestos, lead paint and the gasoline tanks on the site, we had to move with caution and to coordinate fully with all relevant agencies.

“The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) did a great job on this project, Lasco continued. “We were able to piggyback on a DEQ project in Painesdale that had been arranged by the Keweenaw Economic Development Authority (KEDA), which was a tremendous unexpected benefit. The DEQ team already was scheduled to come to the Upper Peninsula, and they were familiar with this site via preceding discussions. When I told them that we had grant funding to clean it up, they were able to make room in their schedule and perform an environmental assessment at no cost to the Township. The results of that testing and analysis showed that there were no petroleum hazards and that, under Michigan’s due care environmental standard, there was no ongoing threat to humans identified at this site. We already knew about the lead and asbestos. The lab work proved that there were no leaking tanks, no petroleum hazards in the soil, and no threat to the township water supply or to Lake Gogebic. Now, the tanks are empty and registered with the DEQ, the well is capped, and the mess will soon be gone.”

WUPPDR, the township, and the Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce all learned of a grant opportunity in the same week of January 2016. The Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority solicited proposals and WUPPDR worked jointly with the township on the proposal. “I worked with Township Treasurer Wendy Savola, who has been fantastic to work with, on all the proposal details,” noted Lasco. “I used a gut-level approach to communicate the impact of one huge blighted building smack in the middle of a small town with few resources, and we were thrilled to learn in mid-February that our funding request would be granted by the Fast Track Authority.”

The collaborative effort resulted in a grant award of $66,000 via a blight elimination program awarded by the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority. In October 2015, the MLB had received a $1 million grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to continue efforts to demolish vacant and abandoned structures and promote public safety.

County land banks and local units of government with eligible projects across the state were invited to apply for this round of funding by early February. Grant awards for individual projects were capped at $250,000. A total of 47 proposals were received, asking for a total of $4.1 million. The Bergland project, the only award made within the Upper Peninsula, was one of 19 projects funded with that $1 million from MSHDA.

To be eligible for funding, demolition projects were limited to blighted residential structures or blighted buildings in business districts, downtowns or commercial corridors; or to demolition of commercial buildings that are part of a development project with funding commitments.

“The township received this property via tax reversion, due to unpaid property taxes over the previous three years. They had to pay the back taxes, which if I recall correctly totaled about $15,000,” said Lasco. “The environmental work from the DEQ has a market value of over $22,000, and the Land Bank Fast Track Authority grant totals $66,000. The township will cover the remaining costs for demolition and site rehabilitation from its own funds. That is expected to be about another $10-15,000.” The township will recoup those funds when it sells the property for development.

Discussions about the site’s future ensued before the construction work started. “The township will issue an RFP and market the property to potential developers,” said Lasco. “We will work together to determine the best use and function for the property. Some community members want a new store, while others say the market is not sufficient to support a full-service grocery. One option that is gaining traction is to build a U.P.-style log building that would house four or five small businesses — perhaps a deli, a coffee house/Internet cafe, a clothing and souvenir store — and have some apartments on the second floor. Apartments are scarce in that area and I’m sure that a new building with market-rate housing would be well received. Nothing is final yet and we are excited to have some great options to explore.”

The building was built in 1968 and purchased by the Nordine Family in 1981. Nordines also had grocery stores in Bruce Crossing and Ewen, and continues to own a store in Watersmeet. Both the Bergland store and the current store in Watersmeet also had Self-serve Gas.

Behind and adjacent to the Bergland store were apartments, one of which was occupied by a family. The family left the apartment after hearing a couple of explosions around 2:00 am. No one was injured in the fire.

One block south of the fire that destroyed the local grocery store, fire destroyed the North Shore Family Restaurant. The debris from that fire was removed and is now an open lot. Both businesses were along M-28 in Bergland.

“This has been a long, tough struggle for Bergland and its residents,” noted Lasco. “They lived with a real mess for a long time. Once we got the funding, there still was a lot of behind-the-scenes work to do. We knew we had one shot and one set of dollars to do this project, and we had to identify all the problems before the demolition began. The last thing we wanted was to go in there and find some unidentified issue that would cost a fortune or have liability for the township.”

“Fortunately, we were able to work locally, regionally and statewide — a truly collaborative effort, including support from Scott Dianda and Tom Casperson, our elected officials — to get the job done,” continued Lasco. “If I were to sum it up in one word, that would be ‘gratitude’. As an individual and a WUPPDR employee, I am grateful and proud to have worked on this project and to have had a role in facilitating this positive change in our region. Bergland is grateful for WUPPDR’s expertise and effort and for the grant funding and agency support. The taxpayers are grateful that this mess is going away without costing them a fortune. Our agency collaborators and political allies regionally and in Lansing are grateful for the blight removal, for a successful collaborative project that demonstrates what can be accomplished when everyone pulls together, and for the opportunity to bring exciting new opportunities to Bergland and Ontonagon County. The phrase really is overused, but this project truly is a ‘win-win’ effort for all concerned.”

Bergland store clean-up from 2013 fire underway

It was on October 12, 2013 that fire destroyed the Bergland Food Store in Bergland. The store was formerly known as Nordines. The debris left by the fire has not only been an eyesore for the community but has drawn the ire of local residents for close to 3 years.

The Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region, commonly known as WUPPDR, has worked closely with and on behalf of Bergland Township to obtain the grant funding, agency coordination and environmental compliance, machinery, and manpower to remove the debris left from the fire.

Steve Lasco, WUPPDR Project Manager, states that efforts to clean up and remove debris from the fire began on Monday, August 15th, by removing the gas pumps and island structure. The demolition and remediation services, provided by U.P. Environmental Services of Bark River, which was the lowest of three bidders on the project, proceeded with removal of asbestos-containing boards on Tuesday, while building demolition began on Wednesday. Plans are for the site to be returned to an empty, level grade no later than the end of next week.

  • Folks in Bergland have lived with this blighted drain on their community for far too long,” commented Lasco. “We received the notice of grant funding in February 2016, but due to asbestos, lead paint and the gasoline tanks on the site, we had to move with caution and to coordinate fully with all relevant agencies.

“The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) did a great job on this project, Lasco continued. “We were able to piggyback on a DEQ project in Painesdale that had been arranged by the Keweenaw Economic Development Authority (KEDA), which was a tremendous unexpected benefit. The DEQ team already was scheduled to come to the Upper Peninsula, and they were familiar with this site via preceding discussions. When I told them that we had grant funding to clean it up, they were able to make room in their schedule and perform an environmental assessment at no cost to the Township. The results of that testing and analysis showed that there were no petroleum hazards and that, under Michigan’s due care environmental standard, there was no ongoing threat to humans identified at this site. We already knew about the lead and asbestos. The lab work proved that there were no leaking tanks, no petroleum hazards in the soil, and no threat to the township water supply or to Lake Gogebic. Now, the tanks are empty and registered with the DEQ, the well is capped, and the mess will soon be gone.”

WUPPDR, the township, and the Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce all learned of a grant opportunity in the same week of January 2016. The Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority solicited proposals and WUPPDR worked jointly with the township on the proposal. “I worked with Township Treasurer Wendy Savola, who has been fantastic to work with, on all the proposal details,” noted Lasco. “I used a gut-level approach to communicate the impact of one huge blighted building smack in the middle of a small town with few resources, and we were thrilled to learn in mid-February that our funding request would be granted by the Fast Track Authority.”

The collaborative effort resulted in a grant award of $66,000 via a blight elimination program awarded by the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority. In October 2015, the MLB had received a $1 million grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to continue efforts to demolish vacant and abandoned structures and promote public safety.

County land banks and local units of government with eligible projects across the state were invited to apply for this round of funding by early February. Grant awards for individual projects were capped at $250,000. A total of 47 proposals were received, asking for a total of $4.1 million. The Bergland project, the only award made within the Upper Peninsula, was one of 19 projects funded with that $1 million from MSHDA.

To be eligible for funding, demolition projects were limited to blighted residential structures or blighted buildings in business districts, downtowns or commercial corridors; or to demolition of commercial buildings that are part of a development project with funding commitments.

“The township received this property via tax reversion, due to unpaid property taxes over the previous three years. They had to pay the back taxes, which if I recall correctly totaled about $15,000,” said Lasco. “The environmental work from the DEQ has a market value of over $22,000, and the Land Bank Fast Track Authority grant totals $66,000. The township will cover the remaining costs for demolition and site rehabilitation from its own funds. That is expected to be about another $10-15,000.” The township will recoup those funds when it sells the property for development.

Discussions about the site’s future ensued before the construction work started. “The township will issue an RFP and market the property to potential developers,” said Lasco. “We will work together to determine the best use and function for the property. Some community members want a new store, while others say the market is not sufficient to support a full-service grocery. One option that is gaining traction is to build a U.P.-style log building that would house four or five small businesses — perhaps a deli, a coffee house/Internet cafe, a clothing and souvenir store — and have some apartments on the second floor. Apartments are scarce in that area and I’m sure that a new building with market-rate housing would be well received. Nothing is final yet and we are excited to have some great options to explore.”

The building was built in 1968 and purchased by the Nordine Family in 1981. Nordines also had grocery stores in Bruce Crossing and Ewen, and continues to own a store in Watersmeet. Both the Bergland store and the current store in Watersmeet also had Self-serve Gas.

Behind and adjacent to the Bergland store were apartments, one of which was occupied by a family. The family left the apartment after hearing a couple of explosions around 2:00 am. No one was injured in the fire.

One block south of the fire that destroyed the local grocery store, fire destroyed the North Shore Family Restaurant. The debris from that fire was removed and is now an open lot. Both businesses were along M-28 in Bergland.

“This has been a long, tough struggle for Bergland and its residents,” noted Lasco. “They lived with a real mess for a long time. Once we got the funding, there still was a lot of behind-the-scenes work to do. We knew we had one shot and one set of dollars to do this project, and we had to identify all the problems before the demolition began. The last thing we wanted was to go in there and find some unidentified issue that would cost a fortune or have liability for the township.”

“Fortunately, we were able to work locally, regionally and statewide — a truly collaborative effort, including support from Scott Dianda and Tom Casperson, our elected officials — to get the job done,” continued Lasco. “If I were to sum it up in one word, that would be ‘gratitude’. As an individual and a WUPPDR employee, I am grateful and proud to have worked on this project and to have had a role in facilitating this positive change in our region. Bergland is grateful for WUPPDR’s expertise and effort and for the grant funding and agency support. The taxpayers are grateful that this mess is going away without costing them a fortune. Our agency collaborators and political allies regionally and in Lansing are grateful for the blight removal, for a successful collaborative project that demonstrates what can be accomplished when everyone pulls together, and for the opportunity to bring exciting new opportunities to Bergland and Ontonagon County. The phrase really is overused, but this project truly is a ‘win-win’ effort for all concerned.”

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