North Judson Making Progress on Unsafe Building, Railroad Lease Agreement

Posted on September 21, 2016
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI

A few ongoing legal issues were discussed during Monday’s North Judson Town Council meeting. Town Attorney Rachel Arndt is taking steps concerning a downtown building the town believes is unsafe. “As far as 205 and 207 Lane Street, she received the title search back and is proceeding with what she needs to do with that, so it should be going down the road getting closer,” said Clerk-Treasurer Alicia Collins.

Doug Cassel refused to allow town officials to conduct a scheduled walk-through of his building. For weeks, the town had been urging Cassel to fix various safety hazards, including a broken window, unsecured doors, falling debris, and roofing issues. Collins says the town is also beginning the hearing process for other potentially unsafe buildings.

Meanwhile, Arndt continues working on a lease agreement for the town’s short line railroad. Lake State Railway was selected to lease the railroad back in July. Now, work continues to finalize a formal agreement. One of the main issues in the process is making sure Co-Alliance, the line’s primary freight customer, is satisfied with the arrangement.