Fulton to receive funds for voluntary demolitions

A photo of the Fulton City Hall building in Fulton, Missouri. (Garrett Fuller/FULTON SUN file; taken Feb. 10, 2022)
A photo of the Fulton City Hall building in Fulton, Missouri. (Garrett Fuller/FULTON SUN file; taken Feb. 10, 2022)

Fulton will receive $200,000 in funds to address dangerous buildings around the city.

In January, the city applied for the funds through the Community Development Block Grant, which is run through the state. The funds will go toward potentially 43 voluntary demolitions.

The city will also dedicate $308,216 in local funding and $57,313 in in-kind materials and labor for the project.

Through a program the city will set up, property owners of dangerous buildings can contact the city to use those funds and contribute $500 toward the project.

This project comes as a result of a survey Fulton conducted into the condition of buildings around the city.

Essentially, city staff looked at properties that could qualify for the funds and then reached out to the owners to see whether they were interested.

As of January, the city had 43 property owners signed up for the program, which the grant funds will be enough to cover.

CDBG funds come from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. While some communities receive money through the program annually, Fulton doesn’t and needs to apply if it wishes to use CDBG funds.

These funds must follow criteria by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and focuses on providing decent housing and expanding economic opportunities for low-to moderate-income individuals.

Fulton worked with the Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission on the application.