A view of the rundown property at 9020 S. Smalley Lane. Officials hope to demolish the buildings and sell the land. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews

WARSAW – Kosciusko County is moving quickly now to clean up and sell a residential lot north of Beaver Dam Lake and with one elected leader offering an apology for the delays during the Kosciusko County Commissioner’s meeting Tuesday, July 5.

The land at 9020 S. Smalley Lane, just north of Beaver Dam Lake and west of Yellow Creek Lake, includes an old mobile home that looks like an extra room had been added. The yard is overgrown with weeds and there are other buildings on the property.

The residence was condemned in 2018 after it was damaged by fire.

Legal documents on the building indicate the land had been owned by a “Timothy Hedrick or his estate.”

The county had tried to sell it previously in a sheriff’s sale. Officials had apparently been under the belief it had been sold.

The property was put up for Sheriff’s sale on Aug. 25, 2020. The county then took possession of the land.

According to County Attorney Ed Ormsby, a deed was not recorded after the sheriff’s sale because of a technicality with the form of the deed.

The commissioners now plan to seek bids and have a timeline on demolition when they meeting July 19.

On Tuesday, July 5, they voted to authorize the demolition of the dilapidated mobile home and other small buildings.

A letter to the county by Aleigh Myers on June 28 apparently caught some attention.

In it, Aleigh Myers wrote in part, “The property continues to show no signs of moving forward. Several parties throughout the neighborhood have also reached out to the county with no success. This has been an ongoing issue for the past several years with agendas and promises made by Kosciusko County’s attorney and health board, but zero action.”

The Myers live across the street. Nate Myers, said at Tuesday’s meeting that he’s pleased with the county’s plan, but added, “We’ve dealt with this for way too long.”

“I know,” said commissioner Bob Conley. “We apologize for that.”

In another matter, the commissioners approved an order from County Clerk Ann Torpy to order the realign some precincts to match Warsaw City Common Council district lines, which were recently updated as a part of redistricting.