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Homes to be demolished in Cloverdale

Wednesday, January 20, 2010
By SHANNEN HAYES, Staff Writer

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.

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  • Finally, this is gonna cost the town $12,000 (plus Lawyer fees to cover this brainstorm) and the timing is PERFECT!

    Now that the depression is over and the economy is booming in Indiana, those properties are holding back developement in our great metropolis. With the long list of people wanting to buy property surrounding these condemned homes, we should have a street festival to celebrate.

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Wed, Jan 20, 2010, at 6:00 AM

  • One of the officials who inspected the property on 4 S. Lafayette said there had been people in there doing illegal and immoral things according to nasty evidence left behind. This is a public safety issue and I believe the cost of the demolition is put against the property in the form of a lien.

    -- Posted by South of 40 on Wed, Jan 20, 2010, at 7:42 AM

  • WHAT ABOUT THE HOUSE NEXT TO 203 S. ROBERT WEIST AVENUE, THE DUGAN PLACE. THAT PLACES HAS NEEDED DEMONISHED FOR A LONG TIME. MRS. DUGAN HAS PASSED AWAY AND IT WOULD BE "OKAY" TO DEMONISH IT NOW. Of course, the mobile home next door is not that great either. SLUMS of Cloverdale.

    -- Posted by Taxpayer5253 on Wed, Jan 20, 2010, at 8:18 AM

  • Evidently, the old Dugan home is sound enough for storage, or it would have been on the list. The house next to it is not that old and kept decent, I don't know why it would be considered an eyesore.

    The old house on 4s Laf. was headquarters for a group that sacrificed cicada's in order to gain spiritual favors and paranormal enlightenment.

    They have since relocated to a house somewhere on Locust Street.

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Wed, Jan 20, 2010, at 12:41 PM

  • Xgamer, while appreciate sacrasm whereever I can find it, the home at 4 S. Lafayette was indeed a danger, and is well worth the cost of demolition. Being so close to "downtown" it has long attracted bored kids who are a danger to themselves and others. Now if only Cloverdale had someplace else for kids to hang out...Alas that is a rant for another time.

    -- Posted by peachsac on Thu, Jan 21, 2010, at 12:04 PM

  • peaches, while I appreciate parental guidance whenever I can get it, I have seen the video footage of what has gone on in that house. Of course it needs to be demolished, Yankee said that there is developement and growth in this town.

    So, "Down with the houses" and "Tow away all the cars"! We are cleaning up in Cloverdale.

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Fri, Jan 22, 2010, at 6:41 AM
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