By Tim Arnett
WABASH,Indiana – The City of Wabash Board of Public Works declared it’s first building of 2016 unsafe. A public hearing was held for a property located at 45 East Sinclair Street owned by Kenneth Crace. During the hearing, Wabash Building Commissioner John Stephens testified that he first became aware of the poor condition of the structure one and a half years ago. At that time, he said that the back of the building was structurally failing, that some windows were missing and that a large crack had formed on the east side of the structure. The previous owner told Stephens that he would make the repairs but, instead, he conveyed the building to Crace. Crace, in turn, claimed that he had given away the building to someone else in a deed. But upon further inspection of the deed, Stephens testified that it was not perfected because it was not notarized or signed.
Stephens testified that the structure is not fit for human habitation, is dangerous and a menace to other surrounding properties. Board member Dee Byerly said that he doesn’t know how the structure could ever be salvageable in its current state. In voting to declare the building unsafe, the board gave owner Crace 30 days to make the building safe or the building will be torn down by the city. But Stephens left the door open to Crace if he can come up with a detailed plan of how he will fix the property and include estimates as to the time frame and cost of such repairs. In that scenario, the board could allow for an extension to the 30 day order.
The board then turned to the old City Hall building located at 111 South Wabash Street down from the courthouse. City Attorney Randi Zimmerman-Irgang said that the previous mayor transferred the property to the now defunct Youth Services Bureau of Wabash in 2009. The property has been vacant for least three years but the record title holder is still the City of Wabash. The deed cannot be found, however, so the city cannot simply take possession of the property. Additionally, Zimmerman-Irgang explained that the Indiana Department of Revenue placed tax liens on the property during the time frame the Youth Services Bureau of Wabash used the building. Thus, she asked the board to file a quiet title action, in addition to a title search which would help notify those who may hold liens on the real estate. The board approved both requests.
According to Zimmerman-Irgang, the city purchased the old City Hall building in 1878 from what the original deed describes as a “a single lady” for $1,400. Considering all the technical legal maneuvers required for the city to take control of the building, board member Todd Titus jokingly wondered if the lady would “like to have it back as-is?”