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Family objects as county moves to demolish Evansville home after Superior Court order
Summary
Family members told commissioners they were unaware of notice and asked for time as the county prepared to award a contract to demolish a property at 5504 Big Cynthia Road that staff says has a decade-long code-enforcement history and a Superior Court order to remove the structure.
Family members of the owner of 5504 Big Cynthia Road told the Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 12 that they had not been properly notified and asked the county to delay demolition. County staff and legal counsel said the property has been the subject of repair orders for nearly a decade and that a Superior Court judgment found the building unsafe and ordered removal; the commissioners voted to award the demolition and site-cleanup contract.
At the podium, Etta Emge said the planned demolition "ain't a solution. It'll just make his health worse," describing a husband with stage 4 kidney failure and other serious medical conditions. Jeff Emge said the family had removed vehicles and 18,000 pounds of scrap since the last hearing and asked for more time to complete cleanup. Julie Emge raised concerns about documentation and said the family had not received violation notices they expected.
County staff responded that the building commission and area planning commission have an open case on the property for roughly a decade. Ryan, representing the county's legal office during the hearing, said the case went through the court system and the Superior Court entered an order finding the house met statutory criteria to be razed; "the time to protest the raising of the property has since long passed," he said. Staff offered to provide the family with inspection and case documentation on request.
The board's action at the Aug. 12 meeting was limited to awarding the demolition contract to the lowest bidder submitted to the county; staff said there were three bids. Commissioners voted to proceed with the award. County staff noted part of the court order found the structure "unsafe and unfit for human habitation," and said removing the building is intended to address risks to public safety.
The commissioners' minutes and the building-commission court file contain the formal record establishing the court order; staff told the family the file and inspection history could be provided. The county did not provide a specific timeline in open session for when the contractor will start or when the family's remaining belongings must be removed; staff said some documentation would be supplied to the family following the meeting.
Because the formal authority to proceed was a Superior Court order referenced in the hearing, the board's vote awarded the contractor to perform the work rather than reopening the court judgment. Family members and staff were urged to coordinate directly for records and next steps.
