Springfield to demolish Legion Villa

SPRINGFIELD – The city of Springfield will demolish the now-condemned Legion Villa after receiving a grant this week from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

"It's an eyesore," City Manager Nathan Henne said Wednesday. "The building is half-fallen down already, and the city alone couldn't fund the demolition. We're only 5,200 people with an annual budget, all in, at about $7.5 million."

On Wednesday, Springfield received a $135,000 Blight Elimination Program grant from the state Land Bank Fast Track Authority. It granted a total of $3.8 million in funding to 19 applicants.

The city will use the money to help demolish buildings on the 88-acre property at 109 Evergreen Road. The main building housed military veterans before it closed in November 2013. In addition to the hospital building, a concrete-and-metal pole barn that formerly housed the hospital's power-generation equipment will be torn down.

In 2012, city officials notified the facility that a dilapidated portion of the building, constructed around 1918, would have to be removed. It risked collapsing on a newer living residence that sat 2 inches away.

Demolition is expected to cost $280,000. The city already has allocated funding in this year's budget to cover the remainder, but had been seeking funding from the state.

"Finally we did get that help," Henne said. "So we appreciate that."

Springfield purchased the property in April for a nominal fee as part of the process of seeking a state grant. Henne said it doesn't plan to hold on to the property and already has had discussions with potential developers.

City council members are expected to vote at their Monday meeting on several contracts for structural engineering and project management.

Henne said the city hopes to have structural engineering work take place this month, "and after that we'll be able to get started."

The city has demolished homes at a cost of $5,500 to $7,000 in the past, Henne said.

"We haven't done anything this big before," Henne said. "We've done residential homes, but nothing this large."

The grant is funded through Michigan's Homeownership Protection Fund, according to a news release. The state received 49 applications, which were evaluated by representatives from MSHDA and the state Land Bank Authority.

The city of Battle Creek also received a preliminary award amount of $250,000.

"Springfield deserves the credit for stepping up to handle a very dangerous and contentious situation with the Legion Villa," Sen. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, said in the release. "It was a long process but I am pleased to see that the state has been able to partner with the city to move this project forward."

Contact Jennifer Bowman at 269-966-0589 or jbowman@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow her on Twitter: @jenn_bowman