The former owners of the Knuckle Sandwich surrendered the keys to their Bargersville restaurant last week, but still have no money to show for it.
Brent and Linda Plunkett struggled for the past year to get information from state agencies, who are taking their property in an eminent domain case filed to make way for Interstate 69.
The restaurant, located at the intersection of Huggin Hollow Road and State Road 144, is just one of 81 commercial properties that are being taken in the final stretch of I-69 to go through Johnson, Morgan and Marion counties.
All along State Road 37, which will become I-69, homes and businesses are being razed to complete the new interstate to connect Evansville to Indianapolis at I-465. In Johnson County, homes and businesses at State Road 144 and Smith Valley Road, along with a White River Township fire station, are being razed to make way.
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The process has not been easy for the Plunketts, they said. From the moment they disputed the price the state offered for their business and entered the condemnation process, their journey was complicated.
The couple first received an offer for their property last August that they felt was too low, so they submitted a counteroffer, Brent Plunkett said. It wasn’t until May of this year the Plunketts received a response, even though they almost immediately submitted the counteroffer, he said.
They did not get clarity on the offer until June when the couple went through a mediation process to determine the amount the state would pay for the condemned property, Brent Plunkett said.
At $845,000 for their land, the restaurant and an outbuilding, the couple says the state paid well below what the property is actually worth. That price plus $40,000 in moving and relocation expenses is all the couple has available to find a new restaurant space, remodel it and bring their employees back to work, they said.
However, they have had to pay final bills and closeout payroll for their 26 employees with no money coming in and pay thousands in upfront costs to remove and store their personal property until they are able to reopen, Brent Plunkett said.
The couple wants nothing more than to reopen their 1950s-style diner elsewhere in Johnson County, bringing their employees back to work and again serving the community, they said.
But with the money the state owes them for the property still withheld for unknown reasons, they don’t have the cash to purchase or rent a new space, they said.
The Plunketts served their last customers on Aug. 3 and worked for nearly two months to clear all their possessions out of the restaurant and move them into storage until they can move into a new space.
The couple handed over their keys Sept. 30 to a contractor with the Indiana Department of Transportation — feeling uneasy and uncertain about when and if they would receive compensation, Brent Plunkett said.
That unease stems from difficulties they had in getting an answer on why their compensation is being withheld, given their cooperation in the process, Brent Plunkett said.
A letter dated May 11 to the couple from the Indiana Attorney General’s Office indicates their funds are being held in an account at the Johnson County Auditor’s Office, pending a signature from an unnamed judge.
Neither the couple nor their attorney received a straight answer from the state on why the funds are held or when the money will be disbursed, they said.
Johnson County Attorney Shena Johnson said comments on the disbursement should be forwarded to the state. Representatives from both INDOT and the attorney general’s office could not comment on the Plunkett’s case because it is still pending, said spokespeople for the offices.
Finally, when the couple handed over the keys, they were told that a document they signed was the last piece needed for the judge to sign off on the disbursement, Brent Plunkett said. However, they still have not received any money from the state, he said.
“We have not received a dime on anything yet. Our business has been taken, our property has been taken and we don’t have a dime,” he said. “I don’t agree with it, but there is nothing I can do about it. The state does what they want.”
The couple and their attorney has also battled with state agencies for answers why they can’t keep all three commercial kitchen hoods they purchased for their restaurant, Brent Plunkett said.
Though they originally requested and were granted a request to keep one hood, their request to retain the other two has been denied, he said. With about $30,000 invested in the hoods, the Plunketts were hoping to avoid paying that, plus inflation, out again to reopen, they said.
“We are getting it bad enough as it is, but to say we can’t take our hoods too, is too much,” Brent Plunkett said.
Finally, on Sept. 30 the couple was able to get contact information for the contractor who will tear down their restaurant, so they can negotiate about the hoods, he said.
Documents and statements from INDOT emphasize that the agency is there to support business and homeowners in the eminent domain process, but the Plunketts say that is not true, based on their experience.
The process eroded their confidence that the state of Indiana cares about small businesses, they said.
“When they first come in they tell you how they are going to help you,” Linda said. “But they don’t care.”
The Plunketts, who live in Morgan County, say I-69’s path through its last phase has caused too much damage.
“When this is all said and done, (driving) from Martinsville to I-465 you will save 11 minutes in your trip,” Brent said. “At what cost? How many homes, how many businesses, how much property has it taken, and how much inconvenience has it put on people?”
The couple hopes the state will release their funds soon they can get their lives, and the lives of their employees, back on track, they said.
Eight of the 26 employees at Knuckle Sandwich have worked for the couple since the restaurant opened in 2014, but are now without jobs after six years of steady work, Brent Plunkett said.
