Huntingburg calling on more property owners to clean up

Huntingburg continues to be active in relieving the city of problematic properties.

At the Board of Public Works meeting on Thursday, City Attorney Phil Schneider reported the city might need to take action on a property at 103 S. Geiger. The owner was given a deadline of November 6 to demolish the unsafe structure there. Scheider told the board that it did not appear the owner had made any efforts to work towards that end and it may need addressed at the December meeting.

Schneider also filed suit against a property on First Avenue and reported the property owner has become more cooperative in complying. Schneider said he is waiting to see what the owner does before asking the court for an injunction.

Scheider stated Code Enforcement Officer Steve Collett had directed him to file suit against a property on West 12th Street. Collett reported the property has scrap and refuse that the owner refuses to clean up.

Mayor Denny Spinner stated the city doesn’t want to be in the business of tearing down properties but during the recent community conversations, the issue was continually brought up. He and Collett have been talking with the city of Marion about how they are dealing with over 1000 abandoned or dilapidated properties that come on the wake of the economic downturn.

Spinner said Marion can’t tear all of these homes down and remove the properties from the tax rolls. They have had to develop new ways to deal with the abandoned properties, so we are speaking with them to learn other ways to deal with our own properties.

In addition to these homes, the city has contacted the Indiana historical preservation group, Historic Landmarks of Indiana, to fix problems with the Kilian Home. The group has agreed to side the house, tuckpoint the masonry, and close up a collapsed wall in the back. The group lists the historic home for sale here for around $15,000.