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Council deems Kennedy school building unsafe

By Anna Jauhola
Due to water damage causing mold and mildew issues in the former Kennedy school building, the city council has deemed it unsafe.
The Kennedy City Council bought the school building several years ago after the Kittson Central School District closed it and moved all students to Hallock. The council has been renting classrooms to individuals for storage space and had sold kitchen appliances and other items before the mold issue arose.
“The school is falling apart. It’s not in very good shape,” said Councilor Cindy Urbaniak.
She said the council made the decision late this summer to have renters move their belongings from the building.
“Now there’s some concern about how secure the roof is,” Urbaniak said. “We’re kind of concerned about the roof caving in at some point. So we just determined it was unsafe for use anymore.”
As renters remove their items, the city is also making sure anyone who wanted a part of the gymnasium floor also have that removed.
“Now we’re just trying to figure out what to do with that big empty building that sits in the community,” Urbaniak said.
Even though the city bought the building for a dollar, funding to maintain the large facility has always been an issue. It simply wasn’t affordable to maintain the building as it should have been maintained, Urbaniak said.
Once all the renters’ items are removed from the school building, the city will then lock it up, board up the windows and make a final decision on what to do. Kelsey Dawson, city clerk, said they are waiting to hear from their city attorney about requirements to officially condemn the building.

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