St. Joseph County officials begin auction of items at Portage Manor
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Officials in St. Joseph County have begun auctioning off the contents of Portage Manor, a former county-run home for those with mental illness or disabilities. They call it a first step in repurposing the facility they chose to close over the summer.
St. Joseph County Commissioner Derek Dieter invited the press to a news conference Tuesday announcing the start of the auction of items left behind after Portage Manor officially closed July 31.
Local estate company Kaser Auction Service will manage the process, and Dieter says he hopes money raised through the hundreds of items to be sold can be put toward investments on the Portage Manor property.
County commissioners chose to close the center—one of the state’s last county-run homes—over the summer saying operational costs were too high and state funding too low to continue supporting it.
In a June news release, county officials said it would take about $10 million to renovate the more than 100-year-old building, adding that it was operating at an annual loss of more than $400,000.
St. Joseph County Commissioner Derek Dieter talks about the decision to close Portage Manor.
The decision to close the county-run facility was unpopular among the families of some Portage Manor residents and saw the submission of at least one counterproposal brought forward to keep the building and its services open.
County officials, however, determined it was not financially viable to continue operations and began in June relocating the 83 remaining residents. Most were placed in assisted living while several went to group homes or to live with family.
Dieter stood by the decision Tuesday saying he has heard no complaints from those relocated from Portage Manor since its closing.
“The county should not be in the business of mental health,” Dieter said. “We don’t do it very well. and we shouldn’t be competing with businesses in the private sector.”
Kaser Auction Service opened the first in a series of forthcoming auctions Tuesday. The company is first looking to sell commercial kitchen equipment, including mixers, fryers, prep tables and kitchen carts among other large items like refrigerators, ice machines, a commercial dishwasher and more.
Bidding on the items is open through 6 p.m. Dec. 10 with interested parties invited to register to view the items in person on Dec. 7. Bidding takes place online at kaserauction.hibid.com.
Items to be auctioned in the future include holiday decorations, furniture, janitorial supplies, religious items, medical equipment, office supplies and pieces of the facility’s 20-plus jail cells.
Dieter said he hopes proceeds of the sale can be put toward building trails and a Challenger little league field for children with disabilities on the Portage Manor property.
Justin Kaser of Kaser Auction Service speaks about preparing for the auction at Portage Manor.
The field alone is expected to cost about $150,000, Dieter said. Justin Kaser of Kaser Auction Service, said he believes the kitchen equipment alone could bring in more than $30,000.
That money will enter the county’s general fund, which the St. Joseph County Council can then choose to allocate for other purposes, such as projects on the Portage Manor grounds.
Dieter said the auction is just a first step and that outdoor projects on the grounds would likely not come until after the county decides whether to sell pieces of the property to developers for potential housing. He said the county is likely to continue processing outdoor assets in April when temperatures warm.
Dieter said there are no plans yet for the Portage Manor building, which he believes was built sometime between 1905 and 1907.
“Once stuff comes out of here, we’ll have our people work things out and have people come and check the building,” Dieter said. “I hope somebody does buy it and does something because … it’s a very cool building.”