The Rush County Commissioners met Monday and tended to a brief agenda.

The first order of business was to address cleaning up county owned property in Manilla. The site (Manilla Grain Elevator) was once a thriving business located on South Cross Street and in recent years has been in disrepair.

A growing concern for nearby residents and county officials is that the location has become an illegal dumping site and frequented by individuals seeking a place to party. Structures on the site have been deemed unsafe and to pose a health risk.

During a recent meeting it was decided that the county would allow a business or individuals access to the property as a means to clean it and remove the buildings. It was further decided by the county leaders that those who undertook the process would receive any and all of the salvage fees of scrap metal recovered as payment for the cleanup.

During Monday’s meeting a group of individuals from the Morristown area in Shelby County expressed interest in undertaking the project. The county will provide the cost for a disposal dumpster during the cleaning process as a means to collect and remove wood scrap and other items deemed unsalvageable.

When asked if they were up to the task and had the means to remove the outlying structures on the property the spokesman for the group responded in the affirmative. A response regarding discarded tires on the property from commissioner Tom Barnes drew smiles and a few chuckles from those in attendance.

“Do you have the means to remove the tires found on the property and dispose of them,” Barnes asked Thomas Karnes. Not missing a beat, Barnes then asked, “Legally?” Karnes again indicated that request would also be complied with.

It is anticipated that the cleanup project will be completed in a couple of weeks.

In other matters, Rush County Sheriff Jeff Sherwood informed the county leaders that for the third time in recent months a person wanted locally on criminal charges has been located out of state.

As a means to return the unidentified individual to Rush County, Sherwood informed the commissioners that he has sought the service of an outside company for the task. According to Sherwood, this approach is more cost effective to county taxpayers than him sending two deputies from the department to North Carolina to transport the individual back.

In a final matter, Area Plan Director Bill Todd informed the commissioners of his decision to employee the services of Coon Excavating to complete the razing of a building in Arlington that a recent storm began.

According to Todd, strong winds associated with Friday’s storm that passed through the county caused a portion of the former Arlington Grocery on CR 700W to collapse and fall onto the street.

Todd contacted the company to put the remainder of the building on the ground.

“It was completely unsafe. We (the county) are fortunate that no one was in the area when the front of the building fell, it could have killed someone. The part of the building that remains standing is in the same condition. It too is unsafe, the beams that gave the structure stability have been removed. It is not even safe to enter,” Todd said.

He continued by saying that there are other safety issues associated with the property.

“There are issues with the basement. I feel the building should be taken down,” Todd said.

According to Todd, the property owner intends to repair the structure that was originally built in 1902, although the APC director has reservations about the restoration project.

In 2006 the commissioners forced the owner to remove an outside staircase and board up windows and doors on the property that collapsed Friday. The county leaders will revisit the situation in a future meeting.



Frank Denzler can be contacted at (765) 932-2222 ext. 106 or via e-mail at frank.denzler@rushvillerepublican.com. To add a comment to this story visit our Web site at www.rushvillerepublican.com.