Hall Theatre fire one year update
March 1, 2023
Ezra DeVore
One year ago today, the historic Hall Theater burned on the Cassville Square.
Currently, the City has secured funding to begin the destruction process, though this has proven a toilsome task. In July of 2022, the City filed a Petition for Nuisance and Condemnation against the property owner, Jon James, following lengthy attempts at legal service.
The first hearing took place on December 5, 2022, and the case is currently set for review on March 27, 2023.
The case has continued since December so the landowner may cooperate with the City of Cassville to apply for Brownfields/Voluntary Cleanup funding through the State of Missouri, a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) program designed to assist in the cleanup of eligible abandoned commercial properties.
With the landowner's cooperation, the City has applied for a Brownfields Phase I assessment by DNR. On February 10, 2023, the DNR notified the City that the Hall Theater site was approved for the Phase I assessment.
The Phase I assessment will be bid in approximately a month, after which the chosen contractor will prepare the Phase I report. DNR has projected this process to take two and a half to three months before the final report is complete of the ruins.
Though the City has only just begun the true motion of the project, strides are being made to remove the rubble from the City's spotlit square.
How the City plans to use the space after the cleanup is complete is still being determined.
How would YOU like the space to be used? Email editor@4bca.com with HALL THEATER as the subject with your suggestions.
One year ago today, the historic Hall Theater burned on the Cassville Square.
Currently, the City has secured funding to begin the destruction process, though this has proven a toilsome task. In July of 2022, the City filed a Petition for Nuisance and Condemnation against the property owner, Jon James, following lengthy attempts at legal service.
The first hearing took place on December 5, 2022, and the case is currently set for review on March 27, 2023.
The case has continued since December so the landowner may cooperate with the City of Cassville to apply for Brownfields/Voluntary Cleanup funding through the State of Missouri, a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) program designed to assist in the cleanup of eligible abandoned commercial properties.
With the landowner's cooperation, the City has applied for a Brownfields Phase I assessment by DNR. On February 10, 2023, the DNR notified the City that the Hall Theater site was approved for the Phase I assessment.
The Phase I assessment will be bid in approximately a month, after which the chosen contractor will prepare the Phase I report. DNR has projected this process to take two and a half to three months before the final report is complete of the ruins.
Though the City has only just begun the true motion of the project, strides are being made to remove the rubble from the City's spotlit square.
How the City plans to use the space after the cleanup is complete is still being determined.
How would YOU like the space to be used? Email editor@4bca.com with HALL THEATER as the subject with your suggestions.