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Neighbor presses city on abandoned house, runoff and falling retaining wall
Summary
A resident described years-long neglect at a property on East Jackson Street, raising concerns about overgrown yards, poison ivy, unstable wall adjacent to church property, and water runoff; staff said the property is on the city's unsafe-building list but owner service has not been completed.
A neighbor asked the Board of Works and Safety to step up enforcement at an abandoned property in the 800 block of East Jackson Street, saying the yard is overgrown and a retaining wall on adjoining church property is failing. "The yard's probably 4 to 5 foot tall in the back with poison ivy all over the place," the resident said, and told the board she has trimmed trees, added tiles and taken other steps to mitigate water but that conditions remain hazardous.
City staff confirmed the property is on the city's unsafe-building (UBO) list but that legal service to the owner has not been completed. The clerk explained the next steps: "The first step is to get proper service on him either by certified mail by a Porter County sheriff or, through publication if we can't get a hold of him," and added that once service is obtained the city can set a public hearing and require repairs or perform work if the owner fails to comply.
Board members acknowledged the resident's frustration and discussed interim options such as inspecting the failing wall on the adjacent church property. A board member asked staff to contact the church and inspect the wall; staff agreed to have a city staffer go review the wall and report back. The board did not authorize immediate emergency work during the meeting; staff said they will pursue service on the property owner and return to the board once service or additional inspections are complete.
