Hobart Building Official Mike Hannigan reported progress in the city's efforts to reduce the number of vacant and abandoned houses, due both to investor rehabs and city-ordered demolitions.

Hannigan said April 17 that only 47 of the 133 abandoned houses found during a citywide search in 2016 remained vacant during a recent follow-up drive.

"Some houses were rehabbed and people are living in them. Some were torn down, including two that were town down (recently)," Hannigan told the City Council.

Mayor Brian Snedecor said many of the houses were purchased by contractors.

Hannigan said he did not look for houses that had become vacant after the first search was conducted three years ago.

"At some time we'll need to go back and do the search again," Hannigan said.

In any event, the council saw the report as good news.

"Now it's manageable," Councilman Josh Huddlestun, D-2nd, said.

Huddlestun suggested putting the addresses on the city website so potential investors can see what's available and residents can add other vacant houses to the list.

Snedecor said the city is looking at using Community Development Block Grant funds to raze up to eight additional houses, depending on the cost.

"We want to take down the worst of the worst," Snedecor said.

The city isn't just targeting dilapidated residential buildings.

Hannigan said he just signed an order to tear down Joe's Crab Shack and Don Pablo's restaurants, which stood across from each other on the city's busy U.S. 30 retail corridor for years before being vacated several years ago.

Hannigan said someone broke into the once busy restaurants during the cold winter months, breaking windows and leaving them exposed to the elements. He said neither building meets code for fire apparatus now.

Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.