A few years ago the family who lived in the home at 1005 Dunes Meadows Drive in Porter walked away from their house when the property was foreclosed.

Now, with no electrical service, the sump pump is inoperable and the basement has filled with water, turning the home into a moldy mess.

Porter’s options, Building Commissioner Art Elwood told the Town Council at its meeting Tuesday night: work with the bank currently holding the mortgage, in an effort to get the home rehabbed to the point at which its habitable; or spend $100,000 to condemn the property and simply raze the house.

Elwood, responding to a complaint from a neighbor, Tim Herschman, noted that a number of banks have actually held the mortgage on the property and that one of them claimed to have spent $80,000 on improvements. However, Elwood added, on inspecting those improvements—done by a subcontractor hired by the bank’s contractor—he determined them to be simply inadequate. So Elwood informed the bank, which promptly fired everyone, he said.

At this point, Elwood estimated that it would take $80,000 to $100,000 “to make it right.”

Elwood does have some hope for the property. The current bank holding the mortgage has hired a new contractor, who recently pumped out the water and is taking photos for a rehab plan to be submitted to the bank.

Complicating everything is the fact that the original home loan is an FHA one, which prevents the bank from just giving the house back to the feds.

In any case, Elwood said, no bank to this point has accepted his recommendation of cutting the Gordian knot, bulldozing the house, and getting a sellable lot in the bargain.

“I wouldn’t want to live in that house,” Herschman said.

“I wouldn’t want you to live in that house,” Elwood countered.

In other business, Elwood reported on the status of the cat house—call it a feline-invested home—near First Street and Main Street north of Hjelm Road.

Although the homeowner recently told him that no more than seven cats now reside in the house—purportedly down from the approximately 70 who were there in July—the homeowner also declined Elwood’s request to go into the house to see for himself.

Elwood accordingly issued the homeowner two citations: one for the odor from the house, the other for excessive animals.

Elwood did say that he and a representative of the Porter County Health Department will be inspecting the house soon, and added that it’s possible the cats—most of them—really are gone. “There’s still a strong odor. Maybe is just needs a good cleaning.”

Posted 8/25/2010