By DAVE SCHULTZ
Two blocks of downtown Bluffton were closed Monday night — one for a gas leak and one in apparent preparation for the demolition of a building.
Crews from Northern Indiana Public Service Co. were busy on West Perry Street during the day and into the evening Tuesday night in response to a gas leak.
NIPSCO crews dug a large hole in the street and began filling it around 10 p.m. The work closed the street from Marion Street east for a half block to the alley. Crews left the area soon after, but the street remains closed.
The hole was extended to the back of Resource Maintenance, 225 W. Market St.
Meanwhile, the fencing around the fire-damaged building at 123 S. Marion St. has been extended across Marion Street as heavy equipment has been parked on the street.
The structure was hit by fire the morning of July 7. It has since been sold to Barkley Properties, and Josh Barkley said during the Bluffton Board of Public Works and Safety Aug. 1 that the property would be made safe before the start of the Bluffton Free Street Fair on Sept. 19.
daves@news-banner.com
