The Building Up Bonesteel-Fairfax project saw a great beginning on Friday, March 26 when a dilapidated house on McKinley Street in Bonesteel was brought down.
The property had been vacant since April of 2019. The City of Bonesteel recently acquired it through tax deed collection. Due to the condition of the structure, it was determined it would need to be demolished.
Jim Birkel of Birkel Dirtwork and Excavation completed the demolition last Friday afternoon and continued to clear out the rubble over the weekend.
This lot will soon become a part of properties advertised via the Building Up Bonesteel-Fairfax housing project. A team of residents has been working on a plan to convert old property and advertise affordable lots for sale.
Along with G-CODE and Dakota Resources, our local team, Sue Vogt, Tim Sanderson, Kelly Wollman, Tyler Uecker and Greg Hausmann, has a goal to secure three lots and have them offered for sale by the middle of May.
The group is very much focused on cleaning up old properties and lots in town to create better neighborhoods throughout our community.
Housing issues affect all facets of our communities. Businesses would benefit from having more options to offer potential employees. Our school would benefit from young families moving into town. Property taxes from new homes would directly benefit our cities, and cleaning up old lots for new homes would improve the look of our neighborhoods.
This project is already seeing success and the groups’ hope, along with help from the City of Bonesteel and the Bonesteel Area Community Development Corporation, is to continue to see properties cleaned up - even if they are not intended for a sale. Pride in the look of our community is something we should all want to be a part of.
Success has also been seen in inquiries from those wishing to move to the area. We have people who would like to become a part of our communities. Let’s welcome them.
This project is also open to Fairfax residents who may be interested in completing the same objective. If you would be interested in joining the group - please get in touch with any one of the current team members.