One home was ordered demolished and three others given extensions during a hearing on unsafe properties in the Kosciusko County Courthouse Thursday. County attorney Chad Miner, representing the county health department, presented recommendations on six properties the department had identified as needing repair or demolition. Brad Baxter, environmental scientist with the health department, described the issues with each property, and county Administrator Ron Robinson made the final determination on each. The first two properties had already been demolished by their owners – a building at 4615 N. Ind. 13, Leesburg, registered in county records to Terry and Connie Holzheur of Huntington; and one at 8510 E. Hatchery Road, Syracuse, registered to Charles Sr. and Sharon Stuckman, Syracuse. Robinson signed the recommendation for a teardown order for a property at 29 EMS B74 Lane, Warsaw, registered to Ruben Radziminski, who Miner noted had died about two years ago with no known heirs. Miner said the county will likely perform the teardown sometime after the order is posted and any relatives are given a chance to respond, and the cost added to the property’s tax assessment. It will be sold at tax sale if nothing is paid for in two or three tax cycles. Also during the hearing: • Two properties were given until an Aug. 20 meeting to show improvement, one at 9043 E. Circle Drive S., Syracuse, owned by Richard Williams et al.; and one at 13552 N. Hillside Drive, Syracuse, owned by Thomas Bender, Nappanee. • A property at 4486 S. Lakeshore Drive, Mentone, owned by Jason and Jenny Hurd, Palestine, Ohio, was given nine months to show improvement, at the owners’ request. Baxter expressed skepticism that anything would be done by then, however, since the property has been vacant for 13 years and the owners live so far away.
