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Commissioners approve vacating a 14-foot alley adjacent to 15463 South Erskine Street
Summary
The board approved a petition to vacate a 14-foot alley (seven feet per adjacent property) beside a home on South Erskine Street after the petitioner presented required documentation and neighbor consent was confirmed.
The Vermillion County commissioners voted on Sept. 8 to approve a petition to vacate a section of alley adjacent to 15463 South Erskine Street in Centenary.
Petitioner Mark Bruce told the board he and his neighbor, Bill Prowse, had submitted the paperwork and that the alley had been advertised and the certified-mail notices were sent. Bruce said the alley is higher than his house foundation and floods into his crawl space after rain; he asked for permission to fence and lower the surface so he can maintain the area. "I have an alley that runs within 7 feet on the side of my house in Centenary ... The alley is higher than the side of my house, so whenever we get a couple of days of rain, it just pushes water into my crawl space under my house," Bruce told commissioners.
County staff confirmed the matter was advertised and that the required paperwork was submitted. Commissioners asked whether utilities ran beneath the alley; Bruce said a gas meter is located adjacent to his house and that other utilities are in the road. The board unanimously approved the vacate motion as presented.
Why this matters: Vacating an alley transfers the county's interest for that segment and allows adjoining property owners to close and maintain that area. The petitioner cited property maintenance and drainage concerns as the reason for the request.
Next steps: The county will record the vacate action in the official records per county procedure.
Direct quote in this article is from the on-the-record comment by petitioner Mark Bruce at the Sept. 8 meeting.
