UPDATE: The Annandale City Council was scheduled to hold a special meeting on Friday, Dec. 16, "to hear an update on the purchase of the property at 55 Myrtle Avenue South," according to a notice from the city sent on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
Danny Heinrich has been captured, sentenced and imprisoned for abducting and murdering Jacob Wetterling in October of 1989, but one aspect of his eight-year residency in Annandale remains unsettled.
The home at 55 Myrtle Ave. S. that Heinrich purchased in February of 2008 has been foreclosed on, and what will become of the property is unclear.
Neighbor Eric Heimkes, who lives across the street, started an online petition last week that supported city efforts to purchase the property. In a matter of days, it garnered 250 to 260 signatures before Heimkes stopped promoting it.
Heimkes attended the Annandale City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 5, to share about the petition, an appearance that attracted television news crews from Channel 4 and Channel 11.
As he spoke, Heimkes clarified that the petition did not specify what the city should do with the property.
"We left it real generic intentionally," he said. "We just wanted to know, is there strong support?"
Heimkes said he had heard many comments that the house should be torn down, and simply wanted to guage how much residents would approve of city involvement.
"Obviously we all know that we have experienced something we would rather not experience as a town," he told the council. "That’s why this issue has kind of come to the forefront. We live right across the street and we have an interest in knowing what might be happening to the property."
Purchase attempts
Back in September, the council held a closed meeting to discuss real estate strategy, then re-opened the meeting and directed city staff to pursue the purchase of the Heinrich property without disclosing what the city was willing to offer.
City Administrator Kelly Hinnenkamp explained during last week’s meeting that the process is ongoing.
"We’ve made three total offers on the property and haven’t been successful in purchasing it, but we’re continuing to watch it," she said. "To the best of our knowledge it’s not sold, but it’s not actively up for auction right now."
According to the real estate website www.redfin.com, the property was listed with a price of $42,250 on Sept. 4. The price was changed to $58,500 on Oct. 11, and then reduced to $54,600 on Nov. 12. According to the Wright County Assessor’s Office, the property has an estimated market value of $55,200.
According to multiple media reports, the property is owned by JPMorgan Chase and is managed by Coldwell Banker Burnet.
Councilor Corey Czycalla, who is a realtor with Oak Realty, said the property has gone through an online auction cycle four times but has not sold. A fifth auction had been scheduled to begin Nov. 4, he said, but there has been no activity.
"It’s not available to show, as far as I can tell, and it’s not actively for sale on the auction site. So that’s about all we know," he said.
Councilor Shelly Jonas asked if the online auction is the only way to secure a purchase.
Czycalla said the bank could decide not to hold another auction, "but if they put it back online as an active auction then it’s open for anybody to bid on."
For the time being, he said there wasn’t much the council could do other than wait for another active auction opportunity.
No plans to promote
Heimkes said during the council meeting that he did not have any specific ideas to suggest as to how the city should handle the property if it did acquire it.
"Some people have thrown out ideas like parks or this or that. It’s obviously a small piece of property," he said. "If it does go forward we would ask, and I’m sure there would be, plenty of community input as far as what could be done."
Dawn Schaefer Stumpf also addressed the council on the matter and encouraged its members to consider working with civic groups like the Annandale Area Community Team, the Kiwanis and the Lions if there is an opportunity to make a decision about the property.
"When we see something that could potentially be positive for the community people tend to gather, come together and find a way to get it done," she said.
She added that some members of ACT have been searching for community garden space, and perhaps that could be one option considered for the location.
Heimkes said the bottom line, regardless of what happens with the property, is that the connection with Heinrich should somehow be broken.
"What we experienced is nothing compared to what the Wetterlings experienced, but still, it has impacted us," he said. "We don’t want to be known as ‘that’ neighborhood. We want something positive, whatever that might be. … We don’t want to be a burden to the taxpayers either."
Mayor’s statement
The day following the meeting, Mayor Dwight "Dewey" Gunnarson posted a statement on his Facebook page regarding the issue.
"The only concern of the city council is that this property becomes a useful and productive property," he said. "That’s the only reason we are attempting (to) purchase it in the first place. But the less the city (taxpayers) get involved, the better."
Gunnarson said the role of government should be to provide solutions when private entities are unwilling or unable to act, and he would prefer that a private individual or group present a viable alternative.
"Ultimately, we’d like to see a family, builder or a developer buy it and fix it up, or demo it and rebuild, and let this property start a new positive chapter in the neighborhood," he said. "I would stay away from a garden or memorial of any kind, since that raises awareness of something the community wishes to forget."
He added that the community ought to follow the example of the Wetterling family and move forward.
"It is not our place, nor is this the location, to raise awareness or memorialize," he said. "We are all merely empathetic bystanders and the Wetterlings have already set the tone and the path for healing."
If the situation remains in limbo, Gunnarson said a broad movement would have to aid the city in pursuing action at the property.
"The city and its taxpayers can’t do this alone," he said. "Have patience."
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