Building still eyesore in Lafayette

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - "When is somebody going to clean it up or tear it down, buy it or do something with it?"

That's exactly what Lafayette resident Royetta O'Maley asks herself every time she steps out on her front porch and sees the remains of Cox's Pub on Schuyler Avenue near Sagamore Parkway.

"It's really frustrating for me because I try to keep my place nice and my view is these eyesores," O'Maley said. "As much as I try to do for the neighborhood and try to clean it up, it's still a source of frustration for me."

Cox's Pub caught fire back in September of 2010 and was later ruled as arson. Still, two years later, the scene of the fire is still painted at the property.

"We have certainly notified the owner and notified the people who are handling the real-estate that the city expects something to be done," Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski said.

But Mayor Roswarski said while it is an eyesore to the community, any time a fire is ruled as arson, the clean-up process isn't something that can happen overnight.

"Because there is a bank involved, owners involved, there are insurance companies involved, sometimes the process is a little bit more cumbersome," Mayor Roswarski said. "But people can rest assured that we're monitoring and doing everything we can to push this along to some resolution."

No word yet on a time frame of the clean up process or what the plans are for the future of Cox's Pub.

NewsChannel 18's calls to the owner of Cox's Pub Thursday were not returned.

Mayor Tony Roswarski said it is still unclear if the owner of Brothers 'N' Others pub, just a few blocks from Cox's pub, plans on re-building.

That building went up in flames in February.