By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
WABASH, Ind. – Two homes were ordered demolished on Thursday, Nov. 3, by the Wabash Board of Public Works and Safety.
Two others were saved from demolition, for now, and a fifth will likely face demolition sometime in 2017.
A home owned by Charles Purdy at 242 W. Main St., and Robert Rose at 523 W. Hill St., were ordered demolished.
The board discussed the Purdy home at its Oct. 6 meeting, and delayed a decision on the structure until its Nov. 3 meeting.
Building Commissioner John Stephens said there has been no change in the structure since the October meeting, and said he doubted there would be any.
As for the West Hill Street property, Stephens said the condition of the structure worsened since the board’s initial hearing.
In another matter, Grayson McCombs told the board he has made arrangements to repair the roof at a home at 1470 Adams St.
He said his contractor hoped to work on repairing the structure this month, but was currently on another job and was hoping to get to it around Thanksgiving.
The board gave McCombs until Dec. 20 to have repairs finished.
Harold Burns was given an additional 90 days to complete repairs on a home at 645 Washington St. The board has been dealing with Burns on the structure since Sept. 16, 2015.
Stephens said that the home is in better condition now than in September 2015, but that work, including siding and windows, were still needed.
Giving additional time “would be the fair thing to do,” Stephens said.
The board, in a final hearing at the meeting, gave Terry McCoy 90 days to clear items he was storing at 985 Pike St. from the facility.
McCoy, who lives in Indianapolis, said he was using the structure as a storage facility, and that he was in the process of looking for one closer to his home. Once the items are moved, he said, the structure would likely be razed.
The structure is a home that also housed a laundromat in an addition. The roof on that addition has collapsed, Stephens said.