By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
A fund drive is underway to relocate Unger Mountain moved from its current location and rebuilt on the Southwood High School grounds.
Sean and Natalie Unger built the three-side tower on their property on Elliott Road in rural Wabash County in October 2016. In early 2017, the couple received notice that a neighbor believed the construction was against a covenant the land had been a part of and that the land should never have been sold to them.
“We don’t have a lake house, we don’t have a boat, we don’t have a motorcycle, we don’t have a sports car,” Unger told The Paper of Wabash County, explaining why the couple wanted to build the climbing wall. “This is kind of what I could give my family; my boys.”
The matter was discussed for about seven months before the Wabash County Planning Commission. Before the commission could make a final decision on the matter, Unger told the planners he would find a new home for the structure.
“I didn’t want to fight this in the courts,” Unger said. “I think the planning commission was tired of seeing me, and I don’t blame them.”
Earlier this year, the Metropolitan School District of Wabash County agreed to accept the climbing wall and locate it at Southwood. The only stipulation that the couple placed on the donation is that the structure will maintain the name Unger Mountain.
Unger also agreed to stop by the site several times each week to make sure it is up to safety standards.
On Feb. 27, the Plan Commission approved the relocation of Unger Mountain to the Southwood property.
Unger said some groups had approached the family about donating the climbing wall, but since his family all had ties to Southwood – his two sons are currently students at Southwood Elementary – he thought it would be good to donate it to MSD.
The day before, on Feb. 26, Unger received a quote from Experimental Systems, the Lansing, Ill., firm that initially built the structure, that it would cost $26,688 to rebuild the structure at Southwood.
Unger, with the help of his family, has been dismantling the structure since November, He hopes to have it completely removed by May 1, so that it can be reconstructed in early May at Southwood, in time for use by students before school ends.
Anyone interested in donating to the relocation may do so by sending donations to Unger Mountain, 5601 W. Elliott Road, Wabash, IN 46992. Checks should be made out to MSD of Wabash County and Unger Mountain should be written in the memo section of the check. All donors will be mailed a tax-deductible receipt.
A donors’ thank you plaque will be placed on or near the site of the tower. There will be bronze ($100), silver ($500), gold ($1,000) and platinum (more than $1,000) levels.