MANSFIELD – A longstanding eyesore on Park Avenue West is on its way down.
The Richland County Land Reutilization Corporation is officially demolishing two structures located at 330-334 Park Avenue West that have been past due for removal. The structures include a two-story multiple family white building, and a one-story brick structure with a three-story, multi-unit Victorian attached.
Amy Hamrick, manager of the Land Reutilization Corporation, explained that both structures were owned by the same owner, and located on the same parcel of Park Avenue land.
“I think most people driving down the road didn’t even know about the white building in the back,” Hamrick said. “You couldn’t see it from the road unless you knew what you were looking for.”
The history of the entire property at 330-334 Park Avenue West is largely unknown. However, according to a 1940 U.S. Census, the Victorian home was owned at that time by a 75-year-old Romanian man named Charles Spetka.
The property was forfeited to the state of Ohio on Aug. 14, 2015 for $36,729 in unpaid property taxes. The Land Reutilization Corporation took ownership of 330-334 Park Avenue West on April 28, 2017.
“There was a long court case drawn out in the process of repossessing and foreclosing on this property,” Hamrick explained. “It’s been on my radar for a long time.
Hamrick added that according to Matt Finfgeld, deputy treasurer, it was one of the most difficult foreclosure cases he’s ever experienced.
After the demolition of the structures is completed by Quality Excavating and Construction from Perrysville, the parcel of land will be transferred to neighboring Smalls Funeral Home to be used as additional parking.
The Park Avenue property is one of many properties the Land Reutilization Corporation hopes to demolish this year. The goal of the organization is to acquire properties to restore for productive use, reduce blight, and increase property values to ultimately improve the quality of life for county residents.
Hamrick said by the end of the year, she hopes to demolish 60 more eyesores in the Mansfield community, using funding through the Neighborhood Initiative Program and the Ohio Home Program that expires at the end of 2019.
“We want to expend as much funding as we can,” she said. “It’s use it or lose it, and I’m trying to put us in the position to get more funds in the future.”
