MANSFIELD — The Richland County Land BankĀ board on Wednesday awarded a $527,700 contract to demolish and clean up the former Ocie Hill Community Center on the city’s north side.
The contract was awarded to Raze International of Shadyside in Belmont County, which submitted the lowest of seven bids for the effort, funded through a state grant.
Shadyside is in southeast Ohio, about 150 miles from Mansfield. But it has done work throughout the state and West Virginia, including in Columbus.
Land Bank manager Amy Hamrick said she had checked into the company’s background and found no red flags.
“The references came back really good. Nobody had any issues (with Raze). They have worked with land banks in that area,” Hamrick told board members.
Hamrick said she would talk to Raze International officials before determining when the work will be completed at 445 Bowman St.
“I would like to see it done before the end of the grant guidelines (in June), but I need to talk to them.
The state had announced in October the Land Bank had been awarded up to $2 million for the project, part of the $500 million statewide for demolition and brownfield remediation set aside in the two-year state budget.
The company’s bid includes $307,000 for demolition and $110,00 for asbestos abatement.Ā
“We will only be reimbursed for actual expenses,” Hamrick said. “We thought there was a lot more asbestos in the building than there actually was.”
The project will return the lot to grass and the Land Bank will determine its redevelopment future after that.
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 in October.
“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.
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.
