The days of a historic building in Vicksburg are numbered. Members of the Vicksburg Village Council at a March 16 meeting agreed to raze the Leja Park farmhouse.
Village Manager Jim Mallery acknowledged the structure’s place in Vicksburg’s history. Still, its woebegone and unsafe conditions are too great to ignore, Mallery and council members agreed.
A bid of nearly $39,000 was approved for its demolition. Frederick Construction serves as the owner’s agent to oversee the process. Mallery said the project – to be performed by Grand Rapids-based X Treme Demolition – will take place before June 1.
In other business, council members OK’d an amount not to exceed $10,000 for shredding services by Data Guardian of Portage. The work is related to destruction of a substantial quantity of village documents, some dating to decades ago. Mallery said the documents have been kept beyond a required seven-year time period.
In discussion of the Leja building demolition, resident Julie Merrill asked members to consider a reprieve for the 1,800-square-foot, two-story structure.
“Is the house not salvageable? It looks like a solid structure,” Merrill said, questioning whether it could be relocated to the Historic Village Park off North Richardson Street.
In response, President Tim Frisbie said it’s his understanding the structure’s roof is damaged beyond repair and the building has been condemned due to safety infractions.
Mallery added that the village-owned structure is plagued with black mold, features lead paint and also includes asbestos. The economics in salvaging the landmark simply weren’t there, Mallery said.
A barn on the Leja Park Farmhouse property – located on the north side of Prairie Street, west of the Leja Business Park – was demolished three years ago due to its poor condition, he noted.
Regarding the village documents stored in boxes in the basement area, Frisbie said the council has a legal obligation to ensure they are shredded before being discarded.
“We can’t just use Best Way to throw them out in a trash bag,” he said. “We’re following the oversight we need to.”
In other action, council members discussed hiring an executive search firm to help secure a successor to Mallery. The 58-year-old Mallery announced in January he plans to retire at the end of the year.
Mallery provided the council a draft detailing a job description as well as the names of five firms worthy of consideration.
According to a timeline noted by Mallery, proposals for the executive search firm were to be opened April 24. From there, Frisbie was slated to share an update and seek a recommendation at the council’s May 4 meeting.
“That would be very realistic in meeting a timeline for any company to develop a community profile within 60 days … to advertise (by the end of June) and recruit for the position,” Mallery said. “Then have an interview process in late August and offer (the job) later in September.”
Frisbie said the timeframe is ideal and the village is “in a great position to make this happen.”
“Most communities don’t even start thinking about it until three to six months before,” he said. “So, we’re way ahead of schedule. My goal is by the end of May, having a firm out actively soliciting and having names in front of us.”
Frisbie said he views the job of Vicksburg village manager as an appealing career option for the right candidate. He said the strides Vicksburg has made since the Matt Crawford era, previous to Mallery’s arrival in 2016, have been impressive, not to mention the village’s sound financial state currently, Frisbie added.
Meanwhile, Mallery said he would be willing to stay on board through the first quarter of 2027 if circumstances warrant.
The council voted to apply for a $400,000 Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant. Confirmation of whether the village is awarded the matching grant is expected from the state in the fall.
Mallery said the village would use the pool of potentially $800,000 to support development of a new park featuring amenities such as pickleball courts, a playground and walking path. The village’s potential $400,000 match would initially come from the municipality’s general fund, he said.
Additional funds could be secured through a follow-up grant expected to be available in 2027.
