Crawfordsville Board of Public Works & Safety members conducted public hearings Wednesday for two unsafe building orders.
The first hearing was for property at 203 S. Water St. owned by Malcolm Tanner. A second-story railing fell off onto the sidewalk in January and the structure has two or three broken windows.
Tanner said the windows were boarded up earlier this week, and he has been in contact with a local glass company to make repairs. However, the window repairs may take until the end of January due to the glass company’s loaded schedule..
Tanner told the board the property has experienced repeated incidents of vandalism and break-ins. He added that he continuously tries to keep the building secured and that he has been in communication with the police department and a neighbor about the issue.
Ultimately, Tanner would like to use the building as an Airbnb.
The board set a follow-up meeting for Jan. 10, 2024.
The second property the board discussed was at 117 E. Market St. The city wants the remaining portion of the wall that once housed the former Journal Review garage to be demolished. A portion of the wall with the mural collapsed in February while the property was still owned by the newspaper. It was sold a month later to 3B2G LLC.
A representative from 3B2G said it is the company’s intention to demolish the remaining portion of the wall within the next few weeks. However, the representative also noted that the property has again been listed for sale.
The board also set a follow-up meeting on the property for Jan. 10, 2024.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a request from Brian Pyle to place a dumpster at 1901 Michigan St. beginning Dec. 15 for two weeks.
• Approved a resolution regarding the policy and procedure the city uses to acquire land or structures. This measure aligns the city’s policy with state code.
• Accepted the uncollectible accounts presented by Kiley Cornelius with the utility office. She reported there were 50 uncollectible accounts totaling $1,665.86. Clerk-treasurer Terri Gadd called the work conducted by the utility office staff as “remarkable” as there are more than 6,000 accounts.
• Approved the agreement with White Construction in the amount of $260,000 for the pedestrian safety project and an agreement with Price Excavating in the amount of $282,408 for paving work at Milligan Park. Both companies were the low bidders for the projects and both agreements have June 15, 2024, as completion dates.
