Blighted property sold on Saturday

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

A blighted property owned by a member of Van Wert Council has been sold at auction.

The property at 600 Leeson Ave., not far from S. Shannon St., The on-site auction, which was conducted by Straley Realty & Auctioneers, was held Saturday afternoon. Chet Straley confirmed an offer was verbally accepted and he said he’s waiting on contracts to be signed. However, he did not immediately have more details on the sale price or the buyer. In the listing, the opening bid was $5,000.

The property is owned by Councilwoman At-Large Judy Bowers. She was served with with a 15-day notice on January 3 of this year to bring the property into compliance. A 3,000 square foot building on the property has been vacant for years. Van Wert Law Director John Hatcher filed suit in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court on September 24, claiming the building adversely affects the surrounding community and nearby property values. The city was seeking an order to have Bowers bring the property into compliance, order it demolished at her cost, or an order to transfer the property to a new owner.

Saturday’s auction was three days ahead of a court hearing to act on a motion for summary judgement. With the agreement to buy, it’s presumed the matter will be dropped from the court docket.

Bowers is finishing her second term as a member of council. She sought re-election last month but finished fifth out of five candidates in a race for three at-large seats. Her term will officially end on December 31.