The remains of one of several windows busted out by vandals. (City-Times photo)

By Brandi Makuski

County leaders say vandals are having a good time with buildings on a 420- acre property formerly in line for development as a water park.

Portage Co. Facilities Director Todd Neuenfeldt said he recently discovered vandals have been breaking into an empty home on the property, located on Pleasant Drive near Smiley’s Bar in Plover, and using it as a “party crash pad”.

“We boarded it up, but you can see the kids went inside,” he said, pointing to the empty residence. “They smashed windows out and left a bunch of trash, but I’ll be honest with you- it’s not a whole lot worse than when (the former home owners) moved out; it was by no means a clean, well- cared for place.”

The Pleasant Drive home where vandals sneak into by breaking windows and busting down doors. (City-Times photo)

The property, comprised of about a dozen parcels, was in line for a major makeover as a water park until the developer, the New Jersey- based H20 Development Co. filed bankruptcy in late 2012, after which the county took back ownership of the property. The site is still referred to as “the aquaplex” by county leaders.

Neuenfeldt said he first noticed the problem during a visit to the property in late May, after which he notified the county’s Space & Properties Committee. Along with peeling boards from random windows before breaking the glass, he said vandals have likely been using the residence after dark, and at one point had plugged into the property’s fuse box and electrical system, which the county has since had turned off.

The property is also become littered with garbage, piles of firewood, broken florescent light tubes, tools and old tires.

Neuenfeldt also said county leaders should worry about the potential fire hazard on the property, which is secured only with a “road closed” sign, leaving the space open for trespassers to light bonfires or set off fireworks. He added most of the sheds on the property were supported with wood treated with creosote, which has toxic fumes.

Portage Co. Chief Deputy Dan Kontos said the sheriff’s office rarely receives phone calls reporting trespassing on the property, but deputies do make their best to make their presence known in the area.

“We do drive-bys on the property as often as we can,” he said.

Matthew Fleming, director of purchasing for the county, said the county’s had a hard time unloading the property because it’s recently been rezoned commercial, increasing taxes on the residential parcel alone to nearly $30,000. He said the county is more likely to sell the storage sheds located on the parcel before it sells the entire piece of land. 

“There’s always a market for sheds, people love to store stuff,” Fleming said.

Todd Neuenfeldt examines a broken window inside the home.

Regarding the future of the property, Neuenfeldt said the county has it listed for sale, but whether it is sold in pieces or as a whole would be up to any potential buyer.

He added he thought most of the buildings should be sold at any cost so long as they’re moved from the property.