Statement on Portage Manor

Nearly three years after Amy Drake and her Republican colleagues on the County Council and the Board of Commissioners told us that the well-run, beloved facility for older adults with disabilities had to be closed because the building needed repairs and had run some short term deficits, it stands vacant and crumbling, still seeking new life. Finally that may happen, but why has it taken so long?

Despite the breakneck speed at which vulnerable residents had been hustled out of Portage Manor, Republicans apparently never had a viable plan to repurpose the county property. So why was there such a rush?

In a surprise move in February of 2023, Republican Commissioners abruptly announced their intention to close Portage Manor, igniting an intense public outcry that led to a 60-day cooling off pause for alternate plans to be developed to keep Portage Manor open. Portage Township trustee Jason Critchlow facilitated meetings with the Save Portage Manor citizens group and other stakeholders to find a way to revitalize the home. In fact, despite the short notice, a proposal was developed by Dr. Sylvana Atallah, a local gerontologist which many believed had promise. 

Even the Council’s consultant who ultimately ruled the proposal was flawed, admitted that if Dr. Atallah had more time, the deficiencies could have been solved. When no plans were deemed acceptable, despite their initial pledge to gradually relocate residents which was projected to take more than a year, the Commissioners instead ramped up the closure and had all the residents out by July 31, 2023. Next they cannibalized the building, auctioning off anything of value. And since then, Portage Manor has sat there decaying.

As councilman Bryan Tanner noted at the time, the whole process raised eyebrows. “Clearly this was done behind the scenes and not in the public eye,” he observed in a South Bend Tribune story. “This [was] not in any way a good faith effort.”

The result: Due to Republicans’ ill-advised disposal, followed by their mismanagement, Portage Manor has cost the county, according to some estimates, hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses, including at one point pricey 24/7 private security, and lost revenue from the agricultural land that had been leased to a farmer. 

The closing of Portage Manor even led indirectly to the death of Mark Huffman, a Portage Manor resident for more than 30 years. Huffman, who spoke on behalf of saving the community of Portage Manor residents many times at County Council meetings, was tragically hit in December of 2024 crossing State Road 23 near his new residence.

But now, finally, after almost three long, costly years of inaction, the Republican Commissioners and Republican Councilors like Amy Drake are moving to free themselves of their mistake, and divest the County of the property. 

The Commissioners held a public hearing a few weeks ago, and the County Council will hold a public hearing on May 26.  However there essentially are only two proposals on the table: one to sell the property to a Catholic School, St Thomas More Academy, at a rumored price of  $1, or another proposal from Portage Township Trustee Jason Critchlow to transform the property into a cooperative housing community.

The lesson here? None of this should have happened.