Council members discussed progress on the Hana House property, which the village previously agreed to transfer for $1 to remove the building from the municipality’s insurance liabilities. Hana House representatives plan to demolish the existing structure and rebuild; a Central Michigan professor and students will provide architecture work pro bono.

The council considered helping pay up to half of the cost of a property survey to correct GIS lot splits and accelerate the transfer. A council member estimated the survey cost would likely be under $1,000. A motion was made to negotiate the survey price and the council supported that request.

Council members said removing the property from the village’s liability insurance and resolving the parcel-split issue would be a net budgetary benefit by eliminating ongoing insurance exposure. No final dollar commitment beyond negotiation authority was recorded; the motion authorized staff to negotiate survey terms and continue to assist Hana House’s effort.

What’s next

Staff will follow up with the village attorney and Hana House representatives on survey logistics and on the insurance/transfer timeline; council discussion indicated intent to have the property off village insurance as soon as feasible.

Sources and attribution

Details in this article are drawn from council discussion during new-business items and the meeting transcript.