Local News

New Details About County Home Purchase

(LaPorte, IN) - It was once a sprawling home for the indigent earning their keep milking cows and doing other work on the farm.

The former LaPorte County home erected in 1886 was purchased for $50,000 by J & B West Properties, LLC.

Andrew Harrell, director of communications for the Michigan City based company, said future use of the site remains a work in progress but could fall along the lines of hospitality.

“We look forward to bringing a well-intended plan for the property.  Whether it’s going to be a bed & breakfast or an event venue of some type or housing, we’re not ready to put that in firm yet,” he said.

Harrell said construction will begin sometime this year.

The timeframe for completion is undecided.

“We are looking at a hefty project. This is a property special to a lot of people, including ourselves, and we just want to make sure we’re doing this the right way,” Harrell said.

The selling price was the minimum sought by county government for the two-story brick structure and five acres surrounding it at a public auction Monday.

LaPorte County Councilman Jeff Santana said he was hoping the winning bid would be twice as much but is happy to have the vacant building off the shoulders of taxpayers and positioned for reuse.

He said the $7,000 annual cost of maintenance was likely to go up.

 ''This is something we need to wash our hands of,” Santana said.

LaPorte County officials explored keeping the structure and turning it into a home for veterans or the homeless but an estimated $10 million renovation forced them to put the property up for sale.

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