To raze or not to raze? That is the question facing Newport town officials concerning a dilapidated log cabin on Peterson Road.

Town residents expressed their concerns last month about the cabin, which was reportedly full of rodents, had a caved in roof and possibly an improperly sealed water well that was harboring bacteria.

The board decided at its September meeting to send a letter to the health department to see what the town could do about the house.

Clerk Cecil Pittack said Tuesday night he also wrote a letter to the home's owner, Russ Komers, to ask for permission to tear the house down.

Pittack said he received a call from Komers Oct. 6, and he said the town could demolish the house. Komers said he would follow up with a written statement saying the same shortly.

Komers, a Waukegan, Ill. resident, said he would help with the cost of the demolition if he could, but he had other health-related expenses in the family so he wasn't sure how much he would be able to contribute.

The town board was hesitant to really get going on the project, however, without written consent.

"I'm afraid we'll tear it down and he'll show up and say, 'You owe me a house,'" Supervisor Matt Brunn said.

Supervisor Pam Stolte didn't think the town should do anything with the house yet either. "I don't think we should aid in tearing anything down, but if we do, we RAZEneed a contract," she said.

Chairman Don Nelson was also less than enthusiastic. "I'm not satisfied with him saying he'll pay if he can," he said.

Nelson also added that if the town gets a health department official to the house, and the department orders Komers to take down the house, then the town could put the costs of the demolition on Komers' Tax Roll.

The cabin is supposedly one of, if not the oldest building in the township and was built with wood logs that could be 120 years old.

Pittack, who started to clean up the property by mowing and taking out windows to air it out, said he tried to determine what kind of wood it is, but wasn't able to.

The board decided it would hold off demolishing the house until it can get written permission and possible a contract with the owner, but would try to find someone who might want to buy the valuable wood, if it's salvageable.

In other business, the board did the following:

n Did not hear from Wedge President and CEO Josh Sculty, who was on the meeting agenda, because he was working on another project and wasn't able to attend the meeting. The town has been trying for months to have him attend a meeting so he can tell them more about the Wedge project.

n Signed a resolution allowing Pittack to sign for a recycling grant from the state. Last year the grant provided the town with $1,145.70.

n Decided to review and possibly strengthen the language of its nude dancing ordinance.