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Commissioners open single bid and warn owner to finish work at unsafe building site
Summary
After county health staff reported demolition left an unsecured rear of a partly demolished building, the commissioners opened a single bid for the remaining work but took the award under advisement and ordered the property owner to secure the structure or face additional fines.
Dubois County officials discussed a partially demolished building and the bid the county received to finish the scope of work, and set a short timeline for the property owner to finish required safety work.
County health staff reported the demolition contractor had removed a rear wall and left large openings and debris; the county described the remaining portion of the building as "unsafe" because the back of the structure remained unsealed, with door-sized openings and loose brick foundations. Health staff said the owner was bringing gravel to fill holes and had placed temporary material over some openings but had not completed measures to secure the building from intrusion or the elements.
The county received one bid for the original scope of demolition and securing the site. Staff said the owner—s recent work changed the scope: the remaining task is to seal the back of the remaining building and finish hole-filling and cleanup rather than full demolition. The one bid submitted for the original full scope was $45,000. Commissioners said because the scope changed they would open the bid and keep the procurement "under advisement" while staff revises scope and options for alternates.
Commissioners also discussed enforcement steps. They said the property already has multiple liens from prior unsafe-building rulings and warned the owner that if the remaining work is not completed by the next meeting the county will impose additional fines for ordinance violations. Staff recommended setting a two-week window for cleanup and securing the building; commissioners asked staff to return to the next meeting with the bid options and a recommended remedial timeline and costs.
County officials said the federal Army Corps of Engineers and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources were involved in nearby ditching and wetland questions and that access to some areas is restricted by federal jurisdiction, complicating work that requires removal or regrading in wetlands. Commissioners said the remaining work looks more like construction (mortar/brick work and sealing) than demolition and may require construction contractors rather than demolition crews.
The board voted to open the single bid and take it under advisement pending a revised scope and to require the owner to secure the building; they said further action, including additional fines, would follow if the owner did not complete work within the stated deadline.
