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Van Bibber residents concerned about derelict properties

Wednesday, June 9, 2010
By JAMIE BARRAND, Editor

GREENCASTLE -- Derelict properties at Van Bibber Lake are not just a concern for the county, but for the people who live near those properties.

On Monday, Van Bibber Lake resident Bill Dixon came before the Putnam County Commissioners at their regular meeting to ask who was responsible for getting those properties cleaned up.

"It's dangerous for children," Dixon said. "I don't know who's responsible, but the properties have just set there year after year after year."

The commissioners explained to Dixon that he was likely talking about properties that had gone up for tax sale last November and not sold, and that at this point the commissioners are in the process of organizing a Commissioner's Sale to get the properties back on the county's tax rolls.

The commissioners have been in talks for some time with Indianapolis-based SRI, a company that would oversee a live or Internet sale of the more than 350 properties in the county that are delinquent in taxes.

"We have to take title and then have a Commissioner's Sale," Commissioner Gene Beck said.

Dixon wondered how long it would take to have the sale. Beck said no dates had been set yet.

"There's a process we have to go through by state law," Auditor Stephanie Campbell said.

Beck assured Dixon the sale was a priority for the commissioners.

"We want to get rid of (the delinquent properties) too," he said.

In other business, the commissioners approved two funding requests from Putnam County Economic Development Commission Executive Director Bill Dory.

The first was for $2,500, which would be Putnam County's share of funding for inclusion in a regional marketing group that will also include Clay, Parke, Vermillion, Sullivan and Vigo counties.

Getting the group together officially wouldn't be a huge change.

"We've been working together on an informal basis for years," Dory said.

Dory explained that the state has been encouraging the establishment of regional marketing groups.

"It's probably going to be an ongoing thing in coming years," he said.

Dory also requested $32,000, money already budgeted for the Economic Development Commission's operating expenses.

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  • I suggest bulldozing the whole place into the lake, then starting over.

    -- Posted by ProblemTransmission on Wed, Jun 9, 2010, at 3:38 AM

  • VBL nothing but a cesspool.It is filled with drugs non working citizens and filth. Such a disgrace to our county.

    -- Posted by justme44 on Wed, Jun 9, 2010, at 7:39 AM

  • There are good and decent families that have no other place to live but VBL. It is not a nice place and the water they have pumped into the homes is disgusting, but sadly it is all some people can afford.

    -- Posted by Concerned in GRC on Wed, Jun 9, 2010, at 12:22 PM

  • Sad it is Concerned in GRC. I apologize for my harsh words Im sure there are some decent people there however, the majority is NOT.

    -- Posted by justme44 on Wed, Jun 9, 2010, at 12:49 PM

  • What is this good decent families with no other places to live? Excuse me...Not all families don't work, do durgs, no education. Some of us are there because they want to be. I work everyday, spouse is retired (70) and worked everyday until major illness at age 65. VBL is rather expensive place to live. The water and sewer is high priced, and so the taxes are higher than Hamilton county. Some people like to take early morning walks with their pet close to the water, and enjoy living in the country. Don't mark everyone as a loser.

    -- Posted by BHAMILTON on Wed, Jun 9, 2010, at 2:18 PM

  • in 1985 my wife and I got married and bought a home at VanBibber Lake.At that time VanBibber was a beautiful well kept development.People had been there for years.Virgil VanBibber cared for the community.He put the people ahead of a dollar.When he passed his son took over.VanBibber became extremely clickish.There is a property owners association however it has been under the control of the developer not the property owners.The roads inside VanBibber have fallen apart.How many of you remember when Bill VanBibber brought criminals in from the department of correction to work at VanBibber?And the harrassment of homeowners by renters.Many of the good people at VanBibber left after being harrassed and threatned by renters.Renters that were under no obligation to the POA.And how about the homeowners that were actually barred from Putnam County.They recieved over 300 harrassing or threatning telephone calls.The cals all came from the same number.A renter.The home owners were told to stop the phone calls that they were recieving.When the superior court judge refused to allow them to be prosicuted the homeowner was left to fend for himself.The calls did not stop.The homeowner kept pressing charges.The judge kept refusing to prosicute.The homeowner was barred from the county.Yes a taxpaying homeowner was barred from the county because he could not stop a renter from making harrassing telephone calls.So thats what happened to VanBibber Lake.The POA has supported this activity.They have got just what they asked for.Property owners Associations should be eleminated.

    -- Posted by stevied4u13 on Sat, Jun 12, 2010, at 12:33 PM
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