Bobbie Lawrence hopes to do a full-scale renovation of a house at 403 E. Lincoln St. in Iola.
She’ll have 120 days to get it done.
Lawrence’s house was one of five slated for potential demolition if immediate improvements aren’t made.
The others almost certainly will be demolished, either by the owners or by somebody hired by the city, Iola City Council members were told Monday.
Code Enforcement Officer Gregg Hutton is hopeful Lawrence follows through on her promise.
But in case she doesn’t, Council members still approved the house’s condemnation, thus triggering the four-month deadline.
In a letter to the Council, Lawrence said she bought the house “from a troubled situation.”
“Regrettably, the trouble continued to plague me and the property with unwelcome individuals breaking in, damaging and stealing appliances,” she wrote.
Lawrence, who does not live in Iola, said she has paid workers to repeatedly seal off the house and keep an eye on the property.
She expects loan financing to come through in short order, allowing her to begin renovations.
“It is a viable candidate for renovation,” Lawrence said. “It’s a very cute home on a beautiful lot and location. … I ask that you all allow the home to be finished now that I have made it to the rehab …. I am very excited about the fix up.”
Council members also approved a demolition order for 224 N. State St., 407 S. Elm St. and 515 S. Fourth St. The house on South Fourth Street may be demolished by its owners before the city takes care of it, Hutton said.
Council members also scheduled an April 10 public hearing to consider condemnation of another house at 617 S. Fourth St. Demolition work on the trailer house had begun last fall, but only enough to remove some aluminum siding and windows.
Since then, neighbors have complained about wind blowing debris from the home onto their properties, Hutton said, calling the structure dangerous and unsafe.
COUNCIL members accepted a bid from C&J Mowing of Iola to mow various properties when necessary this year at a rate of $38.50 an hour.
The C&J Mowing was the lowest of three.
The bid was accepted via 6-1 vote, with Councilwoman Kim Peterson opposed. Peterson expressed concern about the company having only two diesel mowers to handle the workload. Councilman Carl Slaugh was absent.
The Council also approved a request from the Iola Amateur Radio Club to allow members to camp overnight at Iola’s Riverside Park the evening of June 24 to stay with their equipment during the group’s annual field day demonstrations that weekend.
