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page 14 <br />if historic districts were such a good thing, the <br />residents of Nappanee and Lincolnway East wanted out <br />of theirs. <br />Mr. Oxian said the Nappanee HPC had been unreasonably <br />strict. Next, he pointed out that standards were not <br />imposed retroactively; residents weren't required to <br />return their homes to their pristine state. Mr. <br />Kahle, he said, knew his home was a landmark when he <br />bought it, and was aware of the attendant <br />responsibilities. Also, although Mr. Kahle's <br />farmstead was virtually unaltered, the HPC had <br />compromised with him, and approved most parts of his <br />proposal. Standards were imposed even more flexibly <br />on heavily -altered structures. <br />Ms. Judy Swafford, landlord of 710 and 736 Harrison, <br />said she had bought these houses because, originally, <br />she thought the neighborhood was quiet. Now, she <br />struggled to find respectable tenants. She wrote <br />strict leases, visited regularly, and made sure the <br />houses were maintained. While the area did indeed <br />have fine houses and historic character, it was "a <br />war zone." She decried the many dilapidated rental <br />properties in the area and suggested the landlords <br />work together to rid the area of this problem. She <br />didn't think a district would be any help, however. <br />Ms. Swafford's daughter, Oli Swafford, spoke next. <br />She said she did all her mother's repair work, free <br />of charge. There wasn't much money for repair, so <br />she did her best with the money she had. She lacked <br />the expertise and the financial resources to follow <br />historic standards. <br />Mr. Ron Murray of 707 N. Cushing then asked Mr. <br />Luecke if the proposal could be shelved, and <br />resubmitted later. Mr. Luecke said shelving the <br />bill would mean a 1 --year delay before it could be <br />reintroduced. Mr. Murray said, at present, he did <br />not favor the bill, partly because he couldn't afford <br />standards.. He'd bought his home with money borrowed <br />from NHS. NNS had since moved out, precipitating a <br />serious decline in the neighborhood. <br />He described some of his own financial struggles, and <br />said many of his neighbors were in similar <br />circumstances. He said the area had many old homes <br />meriting preservation, but the neighborhood as a <br />whole had much more pressing problems. A historic <br />district might be considered later, when other <br />problems had abated. <br />Next, he said he didn't think the area's total <br />