Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 9, 1971.
Order Appropriating Jail Land Signed
An order appropriating property for construction of a new county jail and appointing appraisers for the two condemned parcels was signed today by Porter Circuit Judge Alfred J. Pivarnik.
Appraisers to be sworn in Thursday are Dorothy Fry, James Dickey and H. Pete Hudson, for the property of Mr. and Mrs. Donald FIndling at 103 Monroe; and John Griffin, Max Dickey and Gilbert Gregory, for the property of Bruce Bornholt, 155 Franklin.
Appraisals are to be returned March 23. The county may then gain possession of the land by paying the amount of the appraisal into the clerk’s office. County Atty. Roger Claudon reported that the county would like to have possession April 1.
If the county or landowners in either case object to the court appraisal as being too high or too low, and a condemnation trial results, the county or landowners pays the difference required after the jury award.
Tenants on the Findling property are Mr. and Mrs. Walter Lamberson and John, Anthony and Ann Nykiel, who are also listed as defendants in the condemnation suit. Bornholt’s niece, Ann Browning, has an interest in his property and is also a defendant in the condemnation suit of his parcel.
Hearing this morning was on the question of whether the County Board of Commissioners was entitled to appropriate fee simple title to the land.
Judge Pivarnik ruled that the county has the power to build jails and that the Board of Commissioners has the power to appropriate real estate, and condemned the property for the use of the county.
The condemnation suits against owners of the two parcels were authorized by the Board of Commissioners Feb. 1 after the landowners refused to sell their land for the amount of appraisals made for the commissioners last year.
Owners of two other parcels to be taken for the jail settled for the appraisal offers. The county paid $20,000 to Leslie Large for property at the corner of Franklin and Monrow and $10,000 to Mrs. Jennie Cavinder Porch, 103½ Monroe, west of the alley in the blok.
Bonds for $1.96 million for construction of the jail were sold by the county in December at a rate of 4.02 per cent to a group of banks including Northern Indiana Bank and trust Co. and several Chicago financial institutions.
The new jail is to be built south of the present jail, and will include juvenile and sheriff’s facilities and room on the fourth floor for county offices until the space is needed for future jail facilities.
Architect Campell Kane is working on specifications for bids for construction of the jail.
