Town of Glendo battles blight

Laura London
Posted 5/23/18

GLENDO — The Glendo Town Council directed the town’s attorney to proceed in court with the condemnation process for the old motel at 200 and 208 N. Yellowstone Highway during the council’s regular meeting May 2.

Town Clerk Brenda Hagen outlined the town’s history with the property during an interview Friday.

“We have been pursuing this actively for about seven years,” Hagen said. “For the first five years, we couldn’t get in touch with any of the owners — no correct address and that type of thing.”

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Town of Glendo battles blight

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GLENDO — The Glendo Town Council directed the town’s attorney to proceed in court with the condemnation process for the old motel at 200 and 208 N. Yellowstone Highway during the council’s regular meeting May 2.
Town Clerk Brenda Hagen outlined the town’s history with the property during an interview Friday.
“We have been pursuing this actively for about seven years,” Hagen said. “For the first five years, we couldn’t get in touch with any of the owners — no correct address and that type of thing.”
Hagen added no work was done on the property until the town was able to reach the owner. She said the owner was Michelle Jocen, until Jocen quit-claimed the property to her sister Lovey Langley, who lives in southern Colorado.
Hagen explained that the property has to meet the State Fire Marshal’s electrical standards for a commercial property. She said the State Fire Marshal came to Glendo last year and placed a cease and desist work order on the property a couple of days before the eclipse. She said the owner took the notice down and told the State Fire Marshal’s Office that the property was to be zoned residential, so the standards did not apply.
Hagen said the property is not zoned residential, and the town had no plans to make it so.
“Then she became aware of the codes and the hoops that she needed to jump through,” Hagen said.
Hagen said the owner had until April to submit to the state a full set of plans to upgrade the electrical system completed by a licensed engineer. No plans have been submitted, so the town is moving forward with the condemnation process.

Eric Jones, Glendo’s town attorney, said during the council meeting May 2 that 8th Judicial District Judge F. Scott Peasley issued an order Nov. 27, 2017, that the owner must submit remodeling plans to the state by April 25. Jones said the property needs fire suppression equipment, alarms and all the amenities to protect the general public. He said the planning review office in Riverton received no plans by the due date.
Jones recommended the town proceed with condemnation of the property, and in the meantime get estimates for demolition of the buildings. He said the town must put the demolition out to public bid if it is more than $35,000.
Jones said the town can demolish the buildings, then town can put a lien on the property and the owner has six months to reimburse the town for that expense.
“If not, then the property is sold like in a sheriff’s sale,” Jones said.
Jones said hopefully the town will be able to recover its costs. If there is any surplus, it goes back to the owner.
He said more legal work is needed to clear the title to the property.

Other business
In other discussion during the meeting, the council learned the project to expand Lakeview Motel & RV has been canceled since the business was put up for sale.
Mayor Susan Juschka informed the council that the well at the cemetery has a leak.
A representative from Visionary Broadband encouraged the town to try his company, which has internet speeds about 50 times faster than the town’s current provider, Vista Beam. Juschka said the town needs internet available and working all the time, but the town’s current service goes down sometimes as long as three to eight hours. She said the council could probably let the company know in a couple of weeks whether the town would sign up with Visionary.
Councilor Genelle Petsch mentioned more people attended the Marge Cares charity event this year than last year.
Juschka said the town will have to dig up a portion of Page Street to fix a water leak.
The Glendo Town Council took the following actions during the meeting:
Held a public hearing for the second reading of the 2018/19 town budget and approved the second reading.
Reappointed Judy Mills to serve on the Platte County lodging tax board.