Land Bank opens 9 bids for demolition of West Park Shopping Center

MANSFIELD — The end of the former West Park Shopping Center is getting closer, but the Richland County Land Bank still has a decision to make.

Nine companies submitted bids to demolish the long-vacant shopping center, with proposals ranging from $896K to $3.2 million. Land Bank Executive Director Amy Hamrick opened and read the bids Tuesday morning.

“I am going to read the total bids, understanding that we’re on a tight budget, so some things may get eliminated,” Hamrick said. “We’re going to review everything as we go — so we’re looking at it all.”

The lowest bid came from R&D Excavating of Crestline at $896,845. Jeremy Huff Excavation of Mansfield submitted the second-lowest bid at $945,429.

Nine companies submit demolition bids for West Park

The other bids included Dore & Associates Inc. of Michigan at $1,846,200; Windsor of Columbus at $2,056,853.74; and Baumann of Garfield Heights at $2,222,202.

Eagle Abatement & Demolition LLC, based in Garfield Heights, submitted a bid of $2,375,000.

Advanced Demolition of McComb submitted a $1,375,750 bid, while B&B Wrecking of Cleveland submitted a bid at $3,123,820.

Adamo Group of Detroit, Michigan, submitted the highest bid of $3,248,200.

Hamrick said bidders can withdraw their proposals by the end of the day on Tuesday.

“We will review everything and send out emails later this week,” Hamrick said.

The Land Bank will not select a contractor until its board approves the contract, hopefully sometime in the next week or so. Hamrick said she will send out the bid tabulation sheet, but emphasized that “it’s not a done deal.”

Demolition follows years of problems

The bidding process marks another step toward tearing down the former West Park Shopping Center at 1157 Park Ave. West.

(The West Park Shopping Center located at 1157 Park Ave. West. Credit: Richland Source file photos)

The Richland County Land Bank received a $1 million state brownfield grant in May to help demolish the deteriorating shopping center. The demolition will also help address asbestos at the property.

Dan and Brenda Niss purchased the property after the New Jersey-based Namdar Realty Group owned the site for about a decade. The city had ordered the property demolished in 2022 after citing numerous zoning and safety violations.

The 17-acre property sits along Park Avenue West’s “Miracle Mile.” Previous reporting stated a crane with a wrecking ball could arrive at the site by mid-October, if the project stays on schedule.

The Land Bank previously planned to require the demolition contractor to begin work within 30 days of signing the contract.

Hamrick previously said she plans to require the land bank’s contractor to complete the demolition by May 31, although most of the work would likely be done sooner.

For now, the nine bids give the Land Bank a range of options as officials review the costs and determine which proposal fits the project’s budget.