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Warsaw's Code Enforcement and Building Department will try once again to bring two city properties into compliance with local ordinances before taking the issues to court for injunctions.
City building inspector Pam Kennedy reported to the Warsaw Board of Works Friday about properties at 421 W. Fort Wayne St. and 934 E. Center St.
In both cases, which involve owner-occupied houses, the owners have ignored or failed to comply with city-ordered repairs or cleanup, Kennedy said.
Both cases involve unlicensed vehicles on the property, Kennedy said. The Fort Wayne Street house, owned by Tom Hutchinson, also involves an unsafe furnace and hot water heater, Kennedy said.
"The house is unsafe to live in," Kennedy said.
Hutchinson was unavailable for comment Friday morning, but his wife said that all of the family's differences with the city had been worked out and no problems remained.
The Center Street house, owned by Dale Snodgrass, has had some structural repairs but still is in violation of garbage ordinances, Kennedy said. Several of the upstairs windows also are broken and unsafe, she said.
Both cases were turned over to Jack Birch, attorney for the building department, and Steve Snyder, Warsaw's city attorney. If no changes are made by the next Board of Works meeting on Oct. 17, the attorneys will file for injunctions against the owners and consider condemning the property.
In other business:
• Street department superintendent Kim Leake reported that all the city's underground gas tanks have been successfully removed and a closure report has been filed with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
• The board approved Park Department superintendent Jon Garber's request to use the $1,500 allotted for conservation, maintenance and preservation at Pike Lake to help control erosion on the east and northeast shores.
• The BOW approved adding 26 rental spaces in the city's parking lot between Indiana and Buffalo streets. The city now rents out 46 spaces in the lot, and adding 26 would leave 78 two-hours spaces available. The spaces currently rent for $9 per month, but the Warsaw Police Department is considering raising the rate for 1998.
Warsaw's Board of Works meets in the city council chambers at 8:30 a.m. the first and third Fridays of each month.
