A piece of vacant land in the middle of LaCrosse apparently belongs to the Town of North Judson. When North Judson acquired its railroad property, it appears to have included a short stretch of abandoned railroad right of way, right by the busy intersection of U.S. 421 and State Road 8.
North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe recently told the town council that he first became aware of the situation when NIPSCO asked to use it as part of a staging area for a utility project. Now, a neighboring landowner has expressed interest in buying it from North Judson, while the Town of LaCrosse would apparently be interested in taking ownership of another section, if North Judson would be willing to hand it over.
Town Attorney Justin Schramm said that in order to sell the land to a private individual, the town would have to solicit bids. If it were to be given to another municipality, that could be done through an intergovernmental agreement.
Depending upon how much it’s worth, Town Council President John Rowe said it might be easier to give the entire property to the Town of LaCrosse, to avoid the red tape of trying to sell it.
