MANSFIELD — The demolition of the former Ocie Hill Community Center on the city’s north side may soon go forward, primarily funded through a $2 million state grant.
The state announced Friday that the Richland County Land Bank has been awarded $2,077,500 in new demolition grants, part of the $500 million statewide for demolition and brownfield remediation set aside in the two-year state budget.
The project, one of four approved locally in the latest announcement, is among 825 blighted and vacant structures in 30 counties that will be demolished to clear the way for new economic development, according to the state.
News of the approved demolition funds for the former Ocie Hill property at 445 Bowman St. was hailed Friday by Mansfield City Councilman Alomar Davenport, whose 4th Ward includes the property.
“As you know, rebuilding on that site has been a priority for me,” Davenport said. “The thought that we are nearing the finish line of actually getting it done is something positive for our community.”
Davenport said he is optimistic about future development on the site — and in the area — once the shuttered brick building is finally removed.
“The North End Community Improvement Cooperative is making a lot of investment in the area (with a planned community center on nearby Springmill Street). I am looking to create an Ocie Hill District that will allow for federal money to flow in to help with revitalization in the area.
“There are a lot of plans in the works, but none concrete that I can say at this point,” Davenport said.
Each of the state’s 88 counties, as part of the two-year state budget approved in 2021, were guaranteed $500,000 in demolition funds and $1.5 million in brownfield remediation dollars.
That left $368 million that local governments can apply for on a first-come, first-served basis, though those entities will have to come up with a 25-percent match for any projects after the guaranteed funds are spent.
The grants announced Friday include the $500,000 the county was guaranteed.
Proof of those matching dollars had to be submitted with each project application. Other smaller demolition projects approved for funding Friday were the former Linden Pool in Mansfield and two structures at 22 and 28 Summit Street, respectively, in Shelby. Those projects total about $77,000.
In December 2021, the Richland County Land Bank applied for several projects, including $3 million in state brownfield remediation funds already approved for former Westinghouse properties on the city’s east side.
The demolition projects are being funded as part of the Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program, developed to help local communities tear down dilapidated commercial and residential buildings and revitalize surrounding properties to attract investments, businesses, and jobs.
“There are sites all over Ohio that are perfect for redevelopment, but the cost to demolish the crumbling structures on these properties is standing in the way of new economic opportunities,” Gov. Mike DeWine said.
“By helping to clear out this blight, we’re investing in the future of our citizens and our communities,” he said.
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 during the COVID-19 pandemic and it never reopened, becoming the target of vandals.
The city’s decision to close Ocie Hill 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.
At the time of the closure, Davenport said 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.
Mansfield City Council voted in 2021 to give the property to the Land Bank.
Amy Hamrick, manager of the Land Bank, said she is working to obtain the title, an effort that will be sped up with the grant announcement.
“That’s on my agenda for Monday,” she said.
Hamrick said the work on the other three properties should be completed by the end of this year.
“I want to have those done so we can focus on the larger projects,” she said.
