The abandoned car wash at 2516 E. Center Street has had multiple code violations.

WARSAW — Residents will no longer have to worry about the eye sore at 2516 E. Center St, as a demolition order was entered for the abandoned car wash during the code enforcement hearing held yesterday, March 3.

The abandoned property, owned by Dash Mesh Properties, Granger, has various general nuisance violations and its condition continues to worsen.

The car wash consists of three buildings, the manual washes, the automatic washes and a small shed. All buildings have been abandoned and neglected. Along with a large broken sign, there are many broken windows and holes in various parts of siding and the roof.

Multiple letters have been sent to the owners of the property and delivered to the adjacent gas station, which is also owned by Dash Mesh Properties. No contact from the owners has been received by the city and this is the third code enforcement hearing they have failed to show up for.

“It appears that the problem with this property have gone on for some time,” said Hearing Officer Thomas Earhart. “I see no reason not to grant that request for demolition. Apparently the owners have taken no interest in the property.”

The owners will now have a 10-day period to appeal the decision. If no appeal is made, the property will be demolished. The cost of the demolition will be billed to the owners. If the cost is not paid, it will be put as a lien on the property.

Earhart started a demolition order for another property during the hearing. The property of 812 E. Arthur St., owned by PC Properties and Rentals, Elkhart, is currently vacant with an exposed roof, only covered with plastic. The roof has been open to the elements for several months and it’s expected that water is now causing problems on the interior of the home.

A representative attended the February hearing and advised the work would be completed by Feb. 26. No representative appeared at this month’s meeting and no visible progress has been made. Due to the lack of communication and lack of completion, Earhart began the demolition order process.

The demolition order will be held until the June meeting. If repairs aren’t made before the meeting, the demolition order will continue.

In other news:

• Work is continuing at the 519 N. Park Ave. property, owned by Faviola Duran. A contractor has been hired and the roof work should be done soon. The property was continued until the hearing on May 15.
• The property at 3521 Lake City Highway, owned by Hari Om Inc., Warsaw, is almost up to code. The final painting and waterproofing of the exterior wood is happening now. The property was continued until the hearing on May 15.
• No progress has been made to the property at 1422 E. Main St., owned by Stephen and Princene Moore. Stephen was present at the hearing and advised they are entering the foreclosure process with the property. The owners were instructed to clean up any exterior trash and upkeep the yard until the foreclosure process is settled.
• The property at 1627 Fisher Ave., owned by Brad Eberly is said to be in a worse condition than before. The property has had code violations since the beginning of 2017. It was noted that there is an excess of trash present on the property. No one showed up to represent the property and it was continued until the May 15 hearing.