Mayor to Appoint Housing, Redevelopment Board Members
Left, Mayor Andrew Halverson (far right), seen here at a December meeting of the Community Development Authority, will appoint some familiar- and some new- faces to the Housing and Redevelopment Authorities Monday night. (City-Times photo)
By Patrick Lynn
Mayor Andrew Halverson Monday night will appoint several area residents to two different committees designed to replace the Community Development Authority (CDA), which voted to approve its own dissolution in early December.
The Housing Authority will operate primarily under state Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations. Appointees Louis Molepske, former city attorney, Hi-Rise resident Carita Onstad, Lee Beveridge, former chairman of the Stevens Point Historic Preservation/Design Review Commission, and Alderman George Doxtator will be charged with overseeing operations of public housing inside the city.
“Now we found a way to maintain the legal insulation to the city tax base that the CDA provides, but now by continuing with a Redevelopment Authority,” Halverson said. “Plus, we’re also shifting the housing responsibilities back to a pure statutory Housing Authority, so we still maintain the financial insulation and protection that we needed.”
The Stevens Point Redevelopment Authority (RDA) will continue to act as the CDA would have, in part handling blighted commercial and privately- owned properties in need of economic redevelopment.
RDA appointees include residents Cathy Dugan and Paul Adamski for one- year terms; Mayor Andrew Halverson and Alderman Randy Stroik for two- year terms; former Alderwoman Marge Molski for a three- year term; former Comptroller-Treasurer John Schlice for a four- year term, and resident Stephen Sawyer for a five- year term.
The appointments will be considered at Monday’s Common Council meeting, 7 PM at the Stevens Point Courthouse, 1516 Church St.