Homes to be demolished in Cloverdale
CLOVERDALE -- It has taken almost one year to the date, but it is finally happening. Three vacant and unsafe structures will be razed.
During the January town council meeting, sealed bids for demolition of the structures were opened and read. Spiker Excavating, Greencastle, was the lowest bidder for all three properties -- bidding $3,200 for 203 S. Lafayette St.; $6,400 for 4 S. Lafayette St.; and $2,300 for 270 Downboy Way.
However, there was some question as to whether Spiker's bid included a garage at 4 S. Lafayette St. and the cost of hauling all debris from the sites, as required by Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
Council member Dennis Padgett was elected to contact Joe Spiker, owner of Spiker Excavating, and determine if he knew his bid was to include the garage and cost of hauling all the debris away.
"Spiker did know what he was bidding," said Padgett. "He will be hauling away everything and present receipts."
The long process started in late January 2009 with the property at 203 S. Lafayette St. After being deemed unsafe and uninhabitable by a building inspector, the fate of the structure was challenged by its owner Jeff Everman in March 2009.
He was given six months to bring the home into compliance with building codes, but failed to make the required changes or have the home demolished. The two-story gray home at 4 S. Lafayette St., and a dilapidated structure on Downboy Way were part of last year's tax sale, but were not sold.
So residents can expect to see the three structures disappear in the next few weeks. This was the first time Cloverdale has been through the process of having such structures razed.