MANSFIELD — The Ohio Department of Development has extended the time for the Richland County Land Bank to complete demolition and clean-up efforts at two current projects.
The Land Bank board met in special session on Friday to accept ODOD’s continuance for projects at the former YMCA on Park Avenue West and the former Denver Roof building on Park Avenue East.
The deadline had been June 30 and has now been extended until Dec. 31 for both ongoing projects.
Land Bank Executive Director Amy Hamrick said local officials expected that additional time would be required for the projects, for which the agency has received state grant funding through the ODOD.
“We figured that would happen,” said Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero said. “We knew when this all started we would not be able to get all these projects done on time.”
Richland County Treasurer Bart Hamilton, chair of the Land Bank board, said the state didn’t make it easy.
“We’re not going to get these things done in time because look how long it took for them to even tell us it was OK to (do them),” he said.
Hamrick said the Land Bank is looking for about $100,000 to purchase more soil for the YMCA site in order to complete that project.
“That should hopefully happen here soon,” she said, adding it would take about two weeks to finish it once the soil purchase is made.
The Land Bank is seeking developers who may be interested in purchasing the site at 455 Park Ave. West.
Earlier this year, the Land Bank and the City of Mansfield were forced to fix a problem left behind by an improperly done demolition the city paid $500,000 to have done five years ago — including a $405,000 state grant and $600,000 from the city’s PRIDE fund.
City officials and the Land Bank have wrestled with the issue since it became clear potential developers had no interest in the 3.2-acre site on one of the city’s busiest streets after Page Exacavating from Lucas finished its work on the site in 2019.
Hamrick said the new contractor crews dug down as deep as 40 feet to remove material left behind by Page Excavation in what’s become a real-life money pit.
“Once we tell them everything is buried, (developers) quickly lose interest,” Hamrick said in March.
The board also approved $4,500 for additional soil testing at the Denver Roof site to ensure it’s not contaminated.
Hamilton said the old building that had been on the site has been demolished and removed.
“It looks so much better,” he said. “It looks beautiful.”
The site at 400-424 Park Ave. East on the city’s east side will be redeveloped as a joint venture between Goyal Industries and Cement Products.
A shell of a second building on the site has been left that could be used in new development.
The decaying buildings were purchased in 2022 by Goyal Industries and Cement Products for $160,000 during an auction after Roof died.
The companies plan to clean up and divide the properties between them for redevelopment.
“I would be shocked if there is anything there,” Hamilton said of the additional soil testing.
