House set for demo

A vacant house on Arch Street in Portland is set to be demolished soon.

Portland Board of Works concluded at its meeting Thursday that the house at 1018 W. Arch St., Portland, is beyond repair and approved its demolition.

As required by state law, the board held a hearing with local officials who have inspected the house and the property owner, Mary Bollinger, Berne, all of whom testified under oath with city attorney Bill Hinkle present.

Bollinger has not lived in the house for at least five years. For longer than that the walls and floors have begun deteriorating, the foundation has sunk and the rooms have been filled with piles of garbage and items that fell from the upstairs because of damage to the upper floor.

“I really don’t think we have a choice,” board member Jerry Leonhard said prior to voting to demolish the house.

John Hemmelgarn of Jay/Portland Building & Planning, fire chief Mike Weitzel and Jay County Health Department environmentalist and administrator Heath Butz were all in agreement it is impossible to save the property and it is a hazard to leave it standing.

Bollinger didn’t extensively protest the building’s demolition.

“They probably wouldn’t believe me anyway,” she said. “They never have.”

Neighbors, who were among the crowd of about a dozen that were socially distanced in the council chambers, requested to the board that animal control be sent to the property to eliminate the rodents and insects which have taken residence there.

Bids will be collected over the next month and presented to Bollinger, who will then have 30 days to pay for her house’s demolition. If she fails to pay, the city will file a tax lien against the property.

In other business, board members John Boggs, Steve McIntosh and Leonhard approved the following purchases:

•An $88,500 7-year-old used street sweeper from Westfield, replacing Portland’s 15-year-old street sweeper that is no longer working

•A $25,912 2020 Dodge Durango from Fuqua Chrysler Dodge in Dunkirk for Portland Police Department, which will trade in its 2012 Dodge Charger toward the purchase

•$22,239.75 worth of parts from Hastings Air Energy Control Inc. to overhaul the fire station’s exhaust removal system

The board also approved an interlocal agreement with Jay County to allow chip-and-seal of the driveway at property own by Red St. Myers at 1313 Blaine Pike, Portland, which could lead to the settlement of an ongoing easement dispute between the city and Myers.