By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
WABASH, Ind. – A bid to demolish one home was accepted Thursday, Oct. 19, by the Wabash Board of Public Works and Safety. Meanwhile, another home was ordered by the board to be demolished.
A bid of $6,440 from Brainard Excavating to demolish a home owned by Jan Bailey, 20 E. Harrison Ave., was unanimously approved by the board.
Bailey told the board that she has been in contact with several firms interested in removing the homes outer limestone siding. Doing so, she contended, would save the city money in landfill fees.
She said several landscaping firms would be at the house in the next few days to determine an interest in removing the siding.
But Mayor Scott Long told her “that’s secondary to demolition.”
Bailey contended that the limestone should be removed before demolition. But Long said, “the home can be demolished whether the limestone is there or not.”
The bids were received in September, Long noted, and she was given time to determine is she would like to have the home demolished on her own, or if the city should demolish it and place a lien against the property.
She has not done so.
Board member Todd Titus questioned if vehicles were still on the property and if that would hinder demolition. Bailey said one vehicle was to be removed, and someone was to come to look at some of the other vehicles. She also said she plans to keep one vehicle for personal use.
She also said a contractor told her that the vehicles could be placed next to a fence on the property, and that they would cause no problems for the demolition.
The board ordered Building Commissioner John Stephens to instruct Code Enforcement Officer Kipp Cantrell to check the vehicles to see if they violated the city’s junk vehicle ordinance.
In another matter, the board, following an unsafe building hearing, ordered a structure owned by Grayson McCombs, 1470 Adams St., be demolished.
During the hearing, Stephens told the board a tree fell on the roof of the structure last fall, causing considerable damage to it. An unsafe building hearing took place then, and the city gave McCombs a chance to repair the structure.
Work started, but little was done to it, Stephens said, adding that he recently was able to get inside the building where he found problems with the floor and mold growing, among other things.
He said the structure was dilapidated, a health problem and was hurting surrounding property values.
The board will take bids on demolishing the structure in an upcoming meeting.
Action on two other buildings – 1284 Willard Drive and 131 S. Wabash St. – were tabled.
Mike Galley, who owns the Willard Drive property, received a timeline from the city to have work done. The matter will be revisited at the Nov. 15 meeting.
As for the South Wabash Street property, a party has expressed interest in purchasing it and working with the city to make repairs. It was tabled until the Dec. 7 meeting.