MANSFIELD — Bart Hamilton was already focused on what comes next.
The Richland County treasurer and Land Bank chair watched as demolition began Monday on the former Westinghouse “A” building.
“We’ve had a conversation with the Ohio EPA and it has a service for projects like this,” Hamilton said as R&D Excavation of Crestline began the painstaking process of bringing down the mammoth, decaying five-story building.
“They will come in and, and look the site over with us, with professionals. They will look at it from a marketing standpoint of what can we sell this for? What can we do with it? And they will help us put together a plan for that,” Hamilton said.
The former “A” building at 200 E. Fifth St., along with the 13-acre “concrete parcel” just to the east and a nearby vacant building were all obtained by the Land Bank and are part of a $4 million demolition and clean-up effort.
The demolition will take six to 10 weeks, according to local officials.
What comes next on the sites, largely vacant since Westinghouse ended local operations in 1990, may hinge on what’s in the ground beneath the buildings and concrete in terms of contamination.
Hamilton said the Land Bank will work with the Ohio EPA on the redevelopment.
“This is coming. We’re gonna start some meetings with them. And I think that’s gonna be our way to actually go out, find some way to redevelop this and, and do a good job, as opposed to us doing it as amateurs. We’re gonna have the professionals,” he said.
At worst, he said, the site becomes a grassy field, rather than the eyesore that has dominated the eastern side of the city for more than three decades.
“But it can be so many more things,” Hamilton said. “And we want it to be that. There is any number of things. But it all starts with getting that (building and concrete) out of the way.”
That process began with a brief ceremony on the third floor of the Braintree Business Development Center across the street.
Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero, a Land Bank board member who helped spearhead the group last year that led to Monday afternoon’s efforts, said the Westinghouse project was just one of four taking place in Mansfield.
“I Google-mapped it and (all four) are within 3.7 crow-fly miles of (Westinghouse). You have the (B&O Bike Trail) Mansfield connect. You have the West End Target area (along Glessner Avenue). And you have the soon-coming Main Street Corridor beautification program.
“That is $24 and a half million of projects underway right now in our county’s largest city. There is a lot of good going on right now in our community and a lot of that doesn’t happen without the hard work of a lot of people,” Vero said.
One of those people was Aurelio Diaz, the 5th Ward city council representative whose ward includes the Westinghouse properties.
City council and county commissioners are each putting $500,000 from their American Rescue Plan Act funds for the Westinghouse project, which is receiving $3 million in state money.
“It’s exhilarating,” Diaz said in describing the day, pointing to the demolition and possible development, along with the rejuvenated nearby Westing House (formerly the Mansfield Commerce Center) and businesses developing inside Braintree.
“I think once they get it all finalized with the concrete and hopefully no finding nothing hazardous (in the soil), we’ll have a lot of developers come here and finally develop things that people have been talking about.
“It’s an awesome ward to represent,” Diaz said.
Bob Cohen, the Braintree business adviser, praised the work taking place in clear view of his windows.
“It’s been a little startling for our out-of-town visitors because our conference room looks right over that. People would come in for meetings and conferences and (see the vacant Westinghouse properties) and wonder what happened,” Cohen said.
“There is no telling what might happen there, but having Braintree right next door certainly opens a lot of possibilities for innovation and things like that,” he said.
State Rep. Marilyn John (R-Shelby), a former Richland County commissioner, recalled a conversation with other community leaders in 2017 when the Westinghouse site was discussed.
“I was listening to individuals at the table talking about this building, this company, and the anguish in their voice over what had happened. And I raised my hand and I said, ‘Can somebody tell me how long ago did Westinghouse go out? This was 2017, and they said 27 years ago.
“And I said it is like it happened last year. The anguish that was in their voices, the hurt that they were still experiencing, the wound that was still open for individuals that worked there (or) knew someone that worked there.
“What is happening today does not diminish the importance of what Westinghouse meant to so many people and families in this community … the gifts that it provided to so many families in this community, this does not diminish it.
“This is about what was, this is about what is, and most importantly, this is about what is to come. And there are so many great things that are part of today and so many great things that are our way. And that’s why this is such a celebration,” John said.
Longtime Land Bank board member Jeff Parton, business development officer at Park National Bank in Mansfield, closed the ceremony with a challenge.
“We need your ideas. Within a year or so, we’re gonna have a really nice big 14-acre green space. That’s going to be great and a nice improvement over what we have.
“But we’re looking for ideas. What could this be next? It could be mixed use, it could be high-tech manufacturing. It could be an arena. I’ve heard of that as an interesting idea.
“We’re looking for your ideas. So if you have any great ideas on what this space could ever be, please share that idea with the Land Bank and we would greatly appreciate it,” Parton said.
With that, Parton got on the radio, where Vero and Andy McGinty, the county deputy treasurer and Land Bank member, were waiting by an R&D excavator to take ceremonial swings with a wrecking ball.
“Mr. Vero, tear down that wall,” Parton said.
