Unsafe buildings targeted in Cloverdale

Thursday, January 22, 2009
A red stop order sign has been posted on the front of the Sale Barn in Cloverdale. A safety fence surrounding the half demolished building is required. Four other properties have been deemed unsafe in the area.

CLOVERDALE -- Properties that have become eyesores may be disappearing soon.

Safety has become the number one concern over certain structures and progress is being made to remedy the situation -- even if it means having them torn down.

The property at 203 S. Lafayette St. has been deemed unsafe by building inspector Mark Cassida.

Don Sublett, town council president, said a title search has been completed on the property and town attorney Alan Yackey is working through the legalities of eventually having the house razed.

Following a fire one year ago, debris still litters the property at 203 Brown Ave. Yackey sent a letter to the property owner on Dec. 11 requesting the matter be handled in a timely manner.

"There are two other (properties) pending title searches," added Sublett.

Demolition on the old Sale Barn came to a halt when the contractor was unable to complete the job. Now Cassida has placed a red stop order on the front of the building.

"A safety fence is needed (around the property)," explained Sublett.

There is the problem of the owner, a resident of Ohio, not having a demolition permit. It seems the previous contractor had the permit under his name, which does not carry over to any other party.

The owner of the building on W. Robert Weist Road is trying to obtain a demolition permit. Once the owner has it, demolition will continue.

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  • Cloverdale and their permits.

    It is to the advantage of Cloverdale to demolish unsafe buildings but NO you have to have a permit to get rid of a unsafe building.

    WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP.

    -- Posted by Old Man on Thu, Jan 22, 2009, at 2:35 AM
  • Actually, this saga of this old building has a little ironic humor to it. One young man who purchased this building (within the last 10 years) had high hopes to make money with this property. I don't know what the realitor told him, but he never checked any zoning laws before purchasing it.

    He soon found out that he could not do anything with it in it's condition, or in its zone.

    Now it can't even be tore down yet.

    Welcome to Cloverdale.

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Thu, Jan 22, 2009, at 6:18 AM
  • In the past there was an apartment building that should have been condemned, but wasn't. But when Mr. Cassida wanted it removed because it was an "eye sore" for his property value, it got done.

    I agree the "Permit" thing is ridiculous. You have to have a permit to improve your property, this includes simple things like a sidewalk or patio. What is the benefit (other than lining some people pockets) to these permits.

    -- Posted by Taxpayer5253 on Thu, Jan 22, 2009, at 6:52 AM
  • To Taxpayer5253, the apartment building next to Mr Cassida property went up for a tax sale (sheriff's sale, Frisbie)and was purchased by a Mr. Cox (not from C'dale)knowing that he had to tear it down, not just bulldoze it in. Getting that apartment building torn down had nothing to do with Mr Cassida. Ask the Town Council President, Mr Sublett he knows. Theres also another piece of property on Grant street that needs to have something down about it. It is across the street for the Town Council President house. It was at one time the 1 (one) room school house of Cloverdale. I am not sure anyone lives there anymore and it has lots of trash, furniture and other items that need to be taken care of.

    -- Posted by moo on Thu, Jan 22, 2009, at 10:31 AM
  • What about the "eyesore" on the east side of the road just north of 70? Why doesn't someone enforce cleaning up that place, includng the old restaurant and the dump of a motel - turned apartments!!! You'd think State Highway would complain. They have to look at it everyday. I think the owner may have someone in their pocket? Anyone around town seen peeping out of the owners' pocket?

    -- Posted by B4this on Thu, Jan 22, 2009, at 1:03 PM
  • I am writing on the previous comment on the "eye sore north of I-70". I happen to work there for the trucking company and if it were'nt for them I would be starving now! Yes, granted it is a mess up there but when property taxes are twenty-thousand dollars a year its real hard to buy anything new so everything there has a purpose and is imperitave that they have in order to piece things together to do business! People have no clue what they are talking or even writing about because they dont know. You are just bored and lack that much excitement in your life that you want to downgrade what others are doing to make yourself feel more important. But, i'm sorry maybe if they were indians it would be okay. Nevermind that the"hotel turned apartments" is housing people with no income or little income and actually doing something good for people. Please lets make Cloverdale look like Avon. NEVER HAPPEN! This will always be the armpit of Indiana and the town will never do anything to change that. The people that operate the "eysore" would probably give the shirt off their back to the uninformed marter that is so bored with life that wrote the last comment or the article for that matter. Yes I believe the resteraunt needs cleaned up because I think Cloverdale needs a strip club. People really need to examine their information and facts before they speke because when they dont their idiocy is what really shines through. Remember, on top "the hill". The view is always better when we are the ones looking down on you and you CAN'T change that!

    -- Posted by fred_wagner7657952220 on Thu, Jan 22, 2009, at 10:39 PM
  • I do know what am talking about and I do know a lot more about the "eyesore" than you obviously think. I am glad you are able to work and that you have a job - does that give the owner the riht to let his place look like a junk yard - even salvage yards are required to have a fence around them. It i still an eyesore to the residents of Cloverdale. If nothing else, why not make this wonderful business at least put up a privacy fence. I think many of the residents would agree that the place needs to be cleaned up. It's an EYESORE! to the Town. I was addressing the issue of "clean up" around Town and am entitled to my opinion - just as you are.

    -- Posted by B4this on Fri, Jan 23, 2009, at 10:23 AM
  • Yes writer, you do have the right to your own opinion but what you don't have the right to do is make an accusation of "the owner having someone in his pocket"! You say that you know more than what you are givin credit for but you fail to state what you know so it is my assumption that you must be a town board member. See you at the next meeting! Yes junkyards do have to have a fence around them but that is not a junkyard because everthing there has a purpose. And about the "eysore". There are no homes up there so it's not drgging property value down and believe me the property value in cloverdale has nothing to do with that hill it has to do with the ignorance of the town and the economic turmoil that the country is in. Like I said in the last letter: The armpit of Indiana and thats all it will ever be. Moral of the story is if it bothers you the way it looks there, DON'T LOOK!!! Because it has nothing to do with anything! And while your hiding behind a screen name because if you were'nt you could possibly be charged for slander think about the local jobs that you dont know about that it's providing and those are real hard to come by right now so the owners must be doing something right. Just like the first and second writers of comment said, "WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP" and "welcome to Cloverdale".Get a life.

    -- Posted by fred_wagner7657952220 on Sat, Jan 24, 2009, at 12:24 AM
  • I am writting in regards to the eye sore north of i-70

    I AM WORKING FOR THE TRUCKING COMPANY /MOTEL APARTMENTS FOR 10 YEARS. IF YOU DONT KNOW THESE PEOPLE PERSONILITY THEN YOU NEED TO HEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. I DO. AS FAR AS I CARE I HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE IT IS BETTER THAN A HOMELESS SHELTER . I HAVE BEEN IN A HOMELESS SHELTER BEFORE . THESE PEOPLE HAVE HELPED ME GET BACK ON MY FEET FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. I AM ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES THAT THEY HAVE HELPED OUT LIKE I SAID IF YOU DONT KNOW THEM PERSONALY THEN KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. WE HAVE CLEANED YP HERE SOME . IF YOU DONT HAVE THE MONEY OR THE RESOURCES THEN WHAT ARE YOU TO DO. EVERY BIT OF EQUIPTMENT UP HERE HAS A PURPOSE FOR IT BEING UP HERE IT SAVES HIM FROM HAVING TO GO TO THE JUNK YARDS TO PURPOSE THE PARTS THAT WE NEED TO KEEP THE TRUCKS ON THE ROADTO BE ABLE TO MAKE MONEY LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. IF PEOPLE THAT HAD RENTED ROOMS BEFORE WOULD TAKE THERE CARS AND BELONGINGS WITH THEM WHEN THEY MOVED WE WOULDNT HAVE ALOT OF STUFF UP HERE TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH THEM .

    YES THE RESTAURANT DOES NEED TO BE CLEANED UP . BUT DO PEOPLE KNOW THE PREVIOUS RENTER THAT WAS UP HERE NO YOU DONT BUT I DO . HE OWES THE OWNERS 70,000 IN BACK RENT AND STARTED ANOTHER BUSINESS IN CLOVERDALE. AS FAR AS THE MOTEL/APARTMENTS , NO ONE KNOWS THIS OR DONT CARE . BUT IM GONNA TELLYOU ANYWAY , A LOT OF PEOPLE COME UP HERE ON THE HILL NEEDING A PLACE TO STAY FOR A FEW DAYS WITH NOT A LOT OF MONEY AND PERSONAL PROBLEMS AND HAS LET THEM STAY HERE UNTIL THEY FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO IN THERE LIFE.

    AS FAR AS THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT LOOKING AT THIS . HAVE YOU EVER BEEN UP HERE ON THE HILL WHEN THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT IS BURNING THE DEAD ANIMALS UP HERE . THE SMOKE IS UNBELIVEABLE AND THE STINK IS UN BEARABLE. YOOU CANT EVEN GO OUTSIDE TO GET ANY FRESH AIR.

    I HAVE CALLED OVER THERE SEVERAL TIMES TO COMPLAIN AND NONETHING GETS DONE ABOUT IT . SO WOULD IT BE SAFE TO SAY MAYBE THAT THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT IS PUTTING MONEY IN PEOPLES POCKETS?

    -- Posted by teea09 on Sat, Jan 24, 2009, at 8:01 AM
  • eye sore on 1-70

    TO ALL THOSE BUSY BODIES THAT WANTS TO CRITICIZE OTHERS.

    MAYBE YOU SHOULD MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS., FOR THE HILL YOU CRITICIZES HAS HELPED PAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION, AND PAVED STREETS. WE DID GET OUR TAXES REDUCED TO APPROX $10,000.00 PER YEAR , AFTER MANY YEARS OF COUNTY OFFICES LOOSING THE REDUCTION PAPERS WORK .

    THE PREVIOUS YEARS WERE APPROX $20,000.00 EACH SO FOR COUNTLESS YEARS , YOU HAVE ALL PROFITED.

    IN THE ECOMINIC STATE WERE IN , I WOULD THINK YOU WOULD BE GLAD TO HAVE WORK IN YOUR COMMUNITY , LOCAL WORK SPENDS MONEY LOCALITY, BUT WHILE YOU SIT NEXT TO YOUR CHINESE MADE WALMART PURCHASED, WHATEVER , AND DRIVE YOUR RICE BURNER , MAKING US SLAVES TO FOREIGN OIL, DON'T TELL ME WHAT IS RIGHT.

    NOW THAT YOU CAN'T ENJOY RACISM, WHY DON'T YOU PICK ON AMERICAN WORKING TAXPAYERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY.........

    WILLIAM MORRISION / OWNER ON THE HILL

    -- Posted by teea09 on Sat, Jan 24, 2009, at 10:31 AM
  • Maybe if you sold some of the scrap metal from all this junk you could afford to drive a nicer truck that doesn't need daily repair. I've been up on the hill on the road by this dump several times. I have seen what you claim is necessary to keep your trucks on the road. Hogwash, 70% or more was nothing but junk. I have been in the trucking industry for many years and I know the difference between salvage parts and junk. Your family has a lot more junk metal at three other sites that has nothing to do with your "trucking business" that could be cleaned up as well and sold. Each one of these lots are right along roadways for everyone to see. My grandmother used to tell mom when she was young that you may not have the nicest things but you can at least be clean and neat about it. You should do the same. I think that is all anyone expects of you.

    -- Posted by CdaleResident on Sat, Jan 24, 2009, at 11:58 AM
  • Why Don't you use the Folk's housed in the Jail to clean up this mess. it would be putting your tax Money to good use!

    -- Posted by Persistentchickainti on Mon, Jan 26, 2009, at 10:14 AM
  • Perhaps, while everyone is having their say, they would like to volunteer their services in the clean-up process? It is easy to throw around misspelled and misused words, but are you willing to throw in your time and money? I do not own these properties, nor do I know the families that do, but these comments are making our town look worse than the buildings ever will.

    -- Posted by peachsac on Tue, Jan 27, 2009, at 1:35 PM
  • Sorry to have offended you so much Fred -- I do know who you are, do know the owners, do know the situation. I will always say it's an eyesore! I think most people will agree. I just added that while we trying to clean up Cloverdale, it should be a priority too. I am not a town board member but know the situation and you and everyone else that lives, works, or whatever there. I did not mean to personally offend you. No Cloverdale will never be an Avon and although am more aware of everthing that goes on up there than you will eve know, my name is not important. I will make no further comments.

    -- Posted by B4this on Wed, Jan 28, 2009, at 9:17 AM
  • As for Teea09, I'm sure she will go to any means to defend her boss and her "home" and her cat population!

    -- Posted by B4this on Wed, Jan 28, 2009, at 9:23 AM
  • And to peachsac's comments, I just would say that you'd have to wear protective clothing because of the rusty junk, and who knows what sitting around up there in containers and old trailers. It may take IDEM to actually clean it up. Why have town people clean it up - it's the owners' responsibility.

    -- Posted by B4this on Wed, Jan 28, 2009, at 9:30 AM
  • I'm done. Wish you all luck. Agin, sorry for offending Fred.

    -- Posted by B4this on Wed, Jan 28, 2009, at 9:31 AM
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