MANSFIELD — Deanna West-Torrence, who helped play a key role in the iconic past of the former Ocie Hill Neighborhood Center, is again excited about the future of the north end property.
The Richland County Land Bank voted unanimously on Wednesday to accept the property from the City of Mansfield, clearing the way for what would likely be the demolition and potential redevelopment of the land at 445 Bowman St.
“I am so excited and super happy,” said West-Torrence, founder and executive director of the North End Community Improvement Collaborative. “I am thrilled that the Land Bank and the city were able to coordinate this.
“I am hopeful about the possibilities of how the community can again be served on that corner again. Hopefully, we as a community can reinstate some things .. health care, education, workforce development, after-school programs, recreation,” West-Torrence said.
“It should be something that meets the many needs of the community and has a positive impact on property values in the area,” she said.
Mansfield City Council approved the donation of the property in November.
The century-old building on the property is named for Hill, the first Black resident to be elected to Mansfield City Council and the longest serving individual on council in the history of Mansfield, serving from 1961 to 1991.
Throughout the years, the structure has been known as the Creveling School, the Mansfield Opportunities Industrial Center, the Human Resource Bureau and the Neighborhood Youth Corps.
The city purchased the building in 1988 and it was home to more than a dozen non-profit and government agencies. It also had a gymnasium used by children and hosted after school-programs like the Culliver Reading Center.
The city closed the building in 2020 and it had become the target of vandals, a fact West-Torrence called to the city’s attention this summer.
NECIC, whose main offices are at 134 N. Main St., recently acquired other properties near the Bowman Street site, including the former Imani Events Center at 486 Springmill St., renaming it the Community Outreach Center.
West-Torrence said she was interested with potential partner(s) to redevelop the property after the current structure has been demolished.
Richland County Treasurer Bart Hamilton, chair of the Land Bank board, said in September that the state’s two-year budget set aside $500 million for demolition and brownfield remediation.
Each of the state’s 88 counties is guaranteed $1.5 million from that fund, leaving $368 million “up for grabs” for projects. Hamilton spoke to Mansfield City Council council on Sept. 21 and suggested city leaders think of potential projects.
“I want to get as big a share as we can for Mansfield and Richland County,” Hamilton said at the time. “If you want to tear down big stuff, now is the time. That’s a lot of money that will become available.”
Land Bank manager Amy Hamrick said Wednesday the next step in the process is to conduct an environmental study to determine it the building is salvageable or should be demolished, a process that could take up to two months.
Hamrick said several entities have expressed an interest in the property if the building is demolished. No one at this point, she said, has expressed an interest in the property with the current building.
“Nobody’s come forward (about the building), but that could change tomorrow, too,” she said.
Any individuals or entities interested in the property must complete an application and then present their plans to the Land Bank, including proof of funding.
The city’s decision to close Ocie Hill in 2020 was met by anger and frustration from north end residents, who made their voices heard during a City Council meeting.
At the time, Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker was not optimistic the building could be saved, saying estimates to replace the boiler, windows, doors and other required work could cost several million dollars.
4th Ward Councilman Alomar Davenport, whose ward contains the property, has said repeatedly something must be found to replace the neighborhood center.
“Anyone who has spoken to me for the last eight months knows my feelings on Ocie Hill. Ocie Hill is a staple of our community. Not so much the building, but what the building represents,” Davenport said when the city administration’s decision was made.
“We cannot continue to lose things in the north end. We cannot continue to lose resources in the north, and they not be replenished. I will spend the remaining three years and 10 months of my term making sure that building is replaced, that we continue those services that are currently being provided in that building,” Davenport said in 2020.
Davenport said in October he supported the transfer to the Land Bank.
“I’ve said all along that what needs to happen there is a rebuild,” he said. “In order for that to happen, first, what is currently standing must come down.
“I understand there’s a lot of sentiment that’s attached to that building and I do anticipate that some will be against this. But in order to move forward, we must get rid of what is current,” Davenport said.
