Several town residents and members of the North Webster-Tippecanoe Chamber of Commerce expressed concern about the condition of some local properties at the North Webster Town Council meeting. One of them was the former Penguin Point building on SR 13.

Neighbors of the East Washington Street area were in attendance at the May meeting of the North Webster Town Council held Tuesday evening at the North Webster Community Center. They came to express concern about the condition on two homes in their vicinity, as well as other properties within the town limits.

The group returned after first approaching council last fall about the condition of vacant homes at 316 E. Washington St. and 320 E. Washington St. to report some clean up has begun but the promised new roof on one of the homes and garages has not appeared.

Larry Kinsey served as spokesman for the group including Linda Kinsey, Barbara Miller and Rita Sikes. “We want to deal with the owners in a reasonable way but we would like to see some more progress. The garage roof is a huge hole on it and it is dangerous for a kid were to climb up on it,” Kinsey noted. The property at 316 E. Washington is owned by the Young Pilchers while the one at 320 E. Washington is owned by Brooke Thompson, Bittany Lorenzi, Logan Pilcher, Whitney Pilcher and Blake Pilcher.

This coincided with the issue of the former Penguin Point building brought to the council’s agenda by a request from the North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce. Located at 611 N. Main St. and owned by Ara Lee Burns and Daniel J. Burns, the property was condemned by the county in 2013 and is currently for sale along with another adjacent and vacant building. The chamber brought the matter to the council at the request of the membership.

“Talks with the owners of 611 N. Main St. have been ongoing by the town and you have given us impetus to continue working on getting the building removed from the lot,” noted Jon Sroufe, council president.

Other properties discussed included a vacant building at 112 W. Washington St. owned by the Young Pilchers and an occupied home at 418 N. Main St. Its owners are John-Michael and Lori A. Kleinhen.

Town Attorney Jack Birch outlined the town ordinance in place the follows the Indiana state statute. A building must be considered blighted, not habitable, hazardous and a public nuisance. The procedure is for the North Webster Police Department to notify the owner and ask for a remedy. The owner can appeal and ask for a hearing by the town council where the council has authority to make a final decision.

Police Chief Greg Church reported he had issued several tall grass and weed notifications to residents.

A hearing was held for the grant application for $450,000 by the town for use in the Indiana Department of Environmental Management required upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant and the sewage lift stations. The $2.835 million project will begin in the fall if the grant is awarded as well as a revolving loan received. Amy Miller of Cornerstone, the town’s grant writer, presented the information.

She stressed there is much competition for the funds and letters from the community outlining support and problems with the current system would be appreciated. They can be dropped off at town hall to Clerk-Treasurer Betsy Luce as soon as possible. Results from the grant application will be known July 17.

The next meeting of the town council will be 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 16, North Webster Community Center, 301 N. Main St.