WTHR |Pink paint on W. Lafayette house riles neighbors

Pink paint on W. Lafayette house riles neighbors

West Lafayette, Ind. - A property manager's decision to paint a rundown rental house pink is angering some neighbors, who say the owner is trying to get back at the city.

BK Management repainted the house in the New Chauncey neighborhood district after city inspectors said the dwelling needed aesthetic improvements.

Chad Budreau of BK Management said the owners originally wanted to install neutral siding but chose paint because of the cost.

"We were able to get the paint for a very good price, and the students living there seem to like it a lot. A lot of people have actually called and complimented us on the color," he said.

Katy Bunder, who has lived in the neighborhood for 22 years, isn't one of them.

"It's the worst I've ever seen on a home," she said.

Bunder says the owners "intentionally devalued" the house.

The city does not have any codes governing paint shades for houses.

Rick Walker, code enforcement supervisor and head of the Neighborhood Resource Team, said he noticed workers painting the house about a month ago and asked about the color.

"I said, 'Why pink?' " Walker said. "And they said, 'You'd have to ask the owner,' and I didn't want to go there. If that's the color they want, that's the color they want."

Purdue seniors Jason Richardson and Alex Nocton, who live in the house, say the color doesn't bother them.

"Whenever we throw a get-together, we just say come to the big pink house, and everyone knows where to go," Nocton said. "I think people need to understand that this is a college town, and if you want to live here that is your choice, but it's not a big deal here."

Neighbor Kathy Rigney said she originally thought the pink paint was a primer and would be painted over.

"I didn't expect it to stay that way, but it doesn't bother me much," she said. "I don't care what color it is. Over here, anything goes."

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)