Wreckage from an early-January arson that destroyed the abandoned Welcome Inn & Suites motel is strewn directly next door to the Buena Vista Township offices on Outer Drive north of Holland Avenue.
The lingering eyesore remains even though federal funds for demolition were in place even prior to the blaze, which supposedly would have an ironically positive effect of making the task speedier and more simple at less cost.
BV leaders have grown weary of some residents blaming them for the slow pace, says Superintendent Torrie Lee, and during a recent meeting she told township board members she has faced major difficulty in attaining updates from Tim Novak, Saginaw County treasurer.
The treasurer’s duties include oversight of the county land bank authority, which has received a $2.4 million federal grant for demolition of rundown properties, including an estimated $500,000 for the Welcome Inn property.
“Working with HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) can be a cumbersome process, more difficult than through the state,” Novak said.
Staffers for Congressman Dan Kildee and the Saginaw Future economic development agency continue pushing to get things done, he added.
Still, “there is no timetable for the environmental review,” Novak said.
In an odd blessing in disguise, the cleanup cost is likely to shrink to less than the half-million dollars. Funds possibly could be used for other demo projects within Buena Vista’s boundaries.
If the blight remains at the site into next year, Lee and her staff may not have to look at it every day. Township offices are slated to move across the Holland Bridge to a portion of the former high school.
