The City of Wellington is working to acquire a home on 15th Street as plans to start construction on the roundabout at the intersection of US 81 and US 160 near.
The Wellington City Council unanimously approved a resolution condemning a home at 321 E. 15th Street, Tuesday night, which would allow the city to start the process to buy the home.
The property is a vacant house with a detached garage just west of Cobb Liquor Store. The home must be acquired and demolished by the city in order to the 15th and A roundabout to be constructed.
Condemnation action will allow the funds to purchase the property to be placed in an escrow account until the ownership is transferred. The resolution also allows for a survey to be done on the property so construction can occur in the area.
Plans are to tear down the home for an access road which would go from north and south 15th to 16th Street just west of Cobb Liquor Store. The road will only be one block long, Mangan said.
Last week surveyors were out looking at the drainage to the east of the intersection.
“We are very close to the right-of-way stage,” said Mangan, which when the city starts acquiring the property necessary to get the project built. City engineers will work to get the necessary easements and appraisals this week. Acquiring the home on 15th Street was included in that step, he said.
“I knew I needed to buy this house so I got started on that in September,” said Mangan, “but my dilemma is I don’t have anyone to deal with until it gets all resolved,”
The listed owner died in 2004 and her property has been cared for by her relatives since, but ownership was never transferred to a new legal owner.
“They never got her name off the books, so they never when through [a transfer] and split up her property with the airs, so technically she is still listed as the owner,” said City Engineer Larry Mangan. “I can’t deal with someone that’s not there...so we are trying to get this resolved,”
Local lawyer Chad Renn is working with the family of the deceased home owner to work towards a deal with the city.
“Hopefully we can get to a point where we can deal with somebody,” said Mangan. At this point, Mangan says the city will most likely reach a deal within the next few weeks.
