Long time Huntingburg eyesore due to be demolished

A problematic property at 1019 North Main in Huntingburg may have some resolution and could be gone within 90 days. City Attorney Phil Schneider notified the common council last night that the owner of the property, Curtiss Palmer, had met with city officials after receiving notification the city would like to enter the home for an inspection.

According to Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner, Palmer told the city he was unable to complete any repairs on the home and the condition of the home was such that it wasn’t worth rehabilitating. Palmer agreed to demolish the home within a 90 day period. Under the agreement, he must provide the city with a plan for the demolition as the home is on the highly trafficked Main St./U.S. 231.

The city has contacted Palmer several times in the past for repairs and cleanup that needed to be done on the property. The home hasn’t been lived in for some time and it has an unfinished exterior; house-wrap is loose and flapping in the wind. The roof is in need of repair as well.

The city struck an additional property from the list of code enforcement problems. The Monticello property on the north side of Huntingburg passed from the hands of the now defunct Integra Bank to Old National and then to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) when the FDIC closed Integra, handing most of its assets to Old National Bank. The property has been empty since that time and with no upkeep being done, the uncut grass had grown to almost a foot.

Mayor Spinner explained after several phone calls to the FDIC, the organization finally contracted with a local mowing service to clean the property up. The building remains empty and is on an auction listing for the FDIC.