One man’s beautification project

12 down and others to fall

(Note: I’ve lived in El Dorado Springs for over 40 years. I’ve always heard that it is better to live South of the Park than North)

The north part of town has developed an…unfortunate reputation – not always deserved. A lot of the homes haven’t been kept up either by the renters or the landlords. The rent is cheap and year by year the rented structures become even more run down and dilapidated.

But people need a place to stay. A leaky roof is better than no roof.

It is true that people driving into El Dorado Springs from the north see the worst of what we have to offer. The Martin House on the corner of Main and Walnut burned several years ago, the flames destroying one of the last elegant old homes in the city.

With the loss of the Martin House it was a chance to start from scratch. But Brian Hansell was already stepping up to address the problem. He and his family along with Jared Barnett have been meticulously tearing down, cleaning up and building new homes,

Hansell develops the house plans himself. They are not all alike. He usually builds two and three bedroom homes. To date he has built 12 in the city limits. All of them are inspected by the city inspector.

Hansell says that one thing he wants to give to the community is hope. And he says he wants to make a difference.

City manager Bruce Rogers said, “I think he’s doing what the private sector should do.  It is a good thing for the community to spend time removing older structures in the north part of town. It is a very positive thing. Every Community that wants to grow needs someone that will step up and do that.”