An agreement to leave Swayze Camp Lane as it currently is but make it an official Pulaski County Road has apparently fallen through. The gravel access lane runs from County Road 400 South to the Swayze Camp subdivision along the Tippecanoe River south of Winamac. However, it apparently drifted out of its easement and onto a neighboring property, leading the landowner to close it off entirely.
Back in July, County Attorney Kevin Tankersley said an agreement had been reached to adopt the existing lane into the county’s road inventory, but during last week’s commissioners meeting, Tankersley said the one landowner is now refusing to sign. “Mr. Swayze did,” Tankersley said. “Mr. Vanderheof didn’t want to sign it for whatever reason. So we’ve talked to the Highway [Department] about putting it entirely on Mr. Swayze’s ground, which he’s okay with, but it would require going through some woods.”
As a next step, Tankersley said he’s recommended that the Highway Department have someone do a legal survey. “It’s where you notify the property owners surrounding it that you’re doing a survey, and it allows you to get a survey done that they can then challenge if they want to,” Tankersley explained. “If they don’t challenge it, it sets the property lines from that point forward. It can’t be contested again. So it takes a little bit more work.”
Tankersley said Northpointe Engineering & Surveying of Indianapolis has offered to do the legal survey for $5,100. He recommended that the commissioners talk to the Highway Department to figure out how to proceed. Interim Highway Superintendent Gary Kruger was not at last week’s commissioners meeting.
