The vacant Arnolt property, which is no longer owned by the Arnolt family, will likely soon be acquired by the city of Warsaw.

WARSAW — The city is seeking to take ownership of the old Arnolt property near Argonne Road in hopes of having the buildings demolished.

The acquisition plan in which the city would drop its outstanding unsafe building violations in exchange for the property rights was approved by the city board of works and safety Friday afternoon.

The building has been in receivership for years as a way to keep current with property taxes, but the receivership is about to expire.

Kosciusko County, which is a party of concern in the matter because of uncertainty over future tax collections, also has a voice in the decision, but is expected to sign off on the city’s plan to acquire the land, said City Attorney Scott Reust at  Friday’s meeting.

Plan Director Jeremy Skinner said the city has already applied for grant money with Michiana Area Council of Governments that would be used to assess the property, a preliminary move before demolition could begin.

In the grant application, the city is seeking to use the money for Arnolt as well as the nearby Gatke building and the Tinkey property near Boggs Industrial Park on the city’s west side.

In other matters, the board approved a request by a retiring K9 officer, Trent Shively, with the Warsaw Police Department, for his K9, Mako, to be retired.

The dog is 9 years old. Most K9s retire after 10 years. Retraining the dog to work with another handler — an iffy proposition — would cost about $8,000. Given the dog’s age, the board agreed to retire Mako, opening the door for Shively to retain ownership of the dog.

In other matters, the board approved the reception of money from two police grants. One is for non-motorized patrols along bike paths and in parks. The other is for school bus stop arm enforcement patrols.