The residents at 2830 Ridgeway Avenue were given notice to vacate within 30 days last Friday
Rental inspector Ben Hein said in Monday’s Bemidji City Council meeting that the situation at the building has deteriorated to a point that is both “immediate and life-threatening.”
Broken locks, doors, windows, hand railings, and other signs of dilapidation are among the many issues in the building.
“Everyone needs a safe place to live and grow,” said Hein in a statement to council.
Six families will be displaced, but the council voiced their hope that the community would rally behind these families who are enduring such hardships.
In other council business, three outdoor dining permits were approved unanimously after public hearings.
This is part of new ordinance amendments allowing seasonal outdoor dining and alcohol serving on public parking spaces partitioned off with approved barricades.
Bar 209 will have three parking spaces, one fewer than the four requested, but Keg N Cork’s and That Alien Pizza Place’s permits were approved with no amendments.
Bid requests were approved for a project at Paul Bunyan Plaza this summer by a 4-3 vote.
The council members who objected, Ward 1’s Audrey Thayer, Ward 4’s Emelie Rivera, and at-large Dan Jourdain, expressed concerns about costs in a period of uncertainty with a potential City Hall remodel on the horizon.
The project will be funded through three sources proportionally: the liquor store reserves, undesignated general fund reserves, and American Rescue Plan dollars.
