Clarksville Town Council released a joint statement regarding the use of eminent domain.
CLARKSVILLE, IN (June 8, 2022) –The Town Council of Clarksville, Indiana, passed a resolution Tuesday night, allowing Town staff and attorneys to move forward with condemnation for the abandoned Colgate plant located at 1410 South Clark Boulevard. Known in the region for the prominent Colgate clock, the site once housed the State of Indiana’s first prison, and has been acknowledged on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Town plans to use eminent domain against Clarks Landing Enterprise Investments LLC to acquire, protect, and reuse the historic site. The sites once housed Colgate-Palmolive plant but has sat mostly empty since the company relocated in 2008. In 2011, it was purchased by Boston Development Group LLC. In 2014, the property was transferred to Clarks Landing Enterprise Investments LLC, a company controlled by the same ownership group as Boston Development. After unanimously approving the resolution, members of the Clarksville Town Council released a joint statement regarding the decision saying in part:
“We did not make this decision lightly, condemnation is always used as a last resort and we have exhausted all other options. If we allowed for the site to continue to degrade for another 11 years it would likely require demolition. We want to preserve and enjoy our history, we do not want to see it relegated solely to pictures and stories.”
The full joint statement from the Clarksville Town Council is included with this release. Due to the legal nature of the condemnation process, the Town of Clarksville and its staff will have no further comment at this time. Any new information or developments will be released when possible.
