Deal done for Pioneer Cemetery

More than three years since the Portland Pioneer Cemetery was re-discovered, the land is finally back under county ownership.
The Jay County Commissioners signed a resolution and deeds this morning, completing a land swap with Portland landowner Dean Poole to bring the cemetery —located west of Jaqua Avenue in Portland — into the county’s possession.
The commissioners struck a deal with Poole, purchasing the 1.77 acres containing the cemetery for $2,500 (which was the average of two assessments performed earlier this year by Jon Funk and John Hanlin).
The county also agreed to reimburse Poole a total of $1,952.27 in taxes paid on the cemetery land since 1995 as well as deed .31 acres of land adjacent to the north of the cemetery to Poole.
The money for the purchase and reimbursement will be paid out of county infrastructure funds.
The cemetery was in use during the 19th and early 20th centuries until the opening of Green Park Cemetery.
After that time the graveyard was forgotten and through record-keeping errors, the land eventually became private property.
The Jay County Cemetery Commission first brought the cemetery to the attention of the commissioners in April 2008 after re-discovering old deeds from the 1850s conveying the land to the county. The effort to re-establish the cemetery cooled off but was revisited again in April 2010, which led to a more concentrated effort to resolve the issue.
The cemetery is located in a wooded area behind the homes located on Jaqua Avenue. The cemetery commission has expressed plans to clean up and maintain the cemetery and the commissioners are planning to re-establish Union Street by laying stone west from the end of Jaqua to allow access into the cemetery.
“I’m happy we got it done,” said attorney Bill Hinkle, who had been working to complete the deal between the county and Poole.
In other business this morning, the commissioners:
•Signed an emergency claim for $36 to pay for recording fees.
•Received a reimbursement of $5,583 in worker’s compensation insurance from Barnum and Brown Insurance.
•Reappointed Pat Miller and Debbie Kummer to the Jay County Hospital Board.[[In-content Ad]]