The St. Joseph County Commissioners have announced some movement in their efforts to dispose of the former Portage Manor county home property.
In October commissioners announced plans to sell the Portage Manor building to St. Thomas More Academy, a Catholic school in South Bend. But Commissioner Carl Baxmeyer says the county then started hearing interest from others.
"We met in executive session, we thought we had a course of action, and then after all this time we start getting inquiries from other groups, so we felt strongly that we needed to take other proposals.”
On April 28 commissioners will hold a statutorily required special public hearing. Sometime before then, they plan to issue three requests for proposals. For the building, the two open areas that were farmed, and the woods, totaling a combined 117 acres.
“I’m certain that St. Thomas More will submit a proposal and there are other groups, whether it be on the manor, whether it be on the developable area, I’m certain we’re going to get other proposals.”
Commissioners closed the home in 2023 despite heavy community opposition.
