It is out with the old and in with the new. At a Windham Township Trustees meeting on Oct. 5, the Board approved a motion to request a county prosecutor to issue a search warrant seize possession of the Purdy House, located on 9092 State Route 303.
“The property has been a nuisance,” said Windham trustee Rich Gano. “The folks who live next to it know. There is high vegetation and the house was built in 2006 but I do not believe it has ever had power. Anyways, inspectors have tried but it has passed from investment firm to investment firm.”
Gano added the plan is for several local departments to inspect it including the Health, Fire and Building Departments. If any one of these local entities declare the property to be unsuitable as a place of residence, the property will be condemned. It will not have to be a unanimous decision.
The board acknowledged that even accessing the property will be a tall task with so much clutter having piled up it is almost impossible to see where the driveway is located.
Gano said at its last inspection he could not even access the backyard because it was filled with fuel tanks, boats and pylons.
The board is working with Dan Morganti, executive director of the Portage County Land Reutilization Corporation and member of the Board of Directors of the Portage County Land Bank, to take back possession and restore the property to a vital piece of the community.
Windham trustee Brian Miller explained that for the last several years, the property has been shifted from investment firm to investment firm for tax purposes and when the current holder of the property is contacted, it transfers ownership to another corporation in another state.
The Purdy house has been uninhabited for close to a decade but even when the original owner, Jason Purdy, was alive, he rarely lived in the house.
There was never an official certificate of occupancy issued and various people just came and went from the house whenever they pleased.
The board hopes that with the county prosecutor issuing a search warrant, it will force the current owners’ hand and they will decide it is not worth the hassle of jumping through so many hoops to restore it out of their own pockets and then it will transfer the title to Windham.
Gano said after conferring with Morganti, the money to level the building and clean up the property will be first come and first serve with the current owners given the first right of refusal.
“We should end up with the property but also end with a clean, deliverable back into normal society clean-cut piece of property,” he said.
Once the search warrant is approved, the board will advertise that the house will be condemned and razed. After that step is achieved, the house will be leveled and demolished and then work can begin on rebuilding a prime piece of real estate.
Gano said he believed any money sunk into the project for restoring the property can be recouped through grants.
While discussing roads, the board noted that construction on the Gotham Road bridge project, located near the Freedom line of Gotham Road, was nearing completion and project costs should come in at approximately $40,000 under budget.
On zoning matters, the trustees also approved a motion for all substandard cemetery lots to be filled with side yards up to 8 feet.
The Board also approved a motion to attend the Ohio Township Association Conference on Feb. 7 through Feb. 9 in Columbus.
The next Windham Township Trustees meeting will take place at the Windham Administration Building on Nov. 2 at 5:30 p.m.
