MANSFIELD — It appears the next chapter of the Ocie Hill Neighborhood Center may not involve the City of Mansfield.
Mayor Tim Theaker said Monday the city has “been approached” by an organization with an interest in the city-owned building and grounds at 445 Bowman St.
“I am not at liberty to comment, however, if something does happen, it will be beneficial for everyone involved,” Theaker said in an email response to a question from Richland Source.
The identity or purpose of the organization was not divulged by the city. It’s also not known if the organization would like to purchase or lease the site, named for Ocie Hill, the first Black resident to be elected to Mansfield City Council.
The organization’s plans for the landmark facility are also not known.
Hill was also the longest serving individual on council in the history of Mansfield, serving from 1961 to 1991.
The century-old building was purchased by the city in 1988 and had been home to non-profit agencies and others utilizing space on the city’s north end, as well as the city’s Police Athletic League.
Operated by the city’s Parks & Recreation Department, the city announced in February the facility would be closed in September due to needed repairs that could cost millions of dollars, including the replacement of the building’s boiler.
That announcement was met with disappointment and frustration from residents on the north side, who filled City Council chambers to express their opposition to the planned closure.
Fourth Ward Councilman Alomar Davenport, then in just in his second month in office, spoke passionately in February about the facility that is in his ward, saying Hill’s legacy must continue.
“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,” said Davenport, offering a lengthy list of officials elected from the north end.
“Without Ocie Hill, there would be no Don Culliver. Without Don Culliver, there would be no Butch Jefferson. Without Butch Jefferson, there would be no Sam Dunn and without Sam Dunn, there absolutely would be no Alomar Davenport.
Davenport told Richland Source on Monday he was aware of the organization and its interest in the building, but could not comment further.
The building was then closed March 12 when Theaker declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city announced in June the building would not re-open ahead of the planned permanent closure.
Parks & Recreation manager Mark Abrams said some of Gov. Mike DeWine’s requirements for re-opening made it impossible to open the doors again.
“The big one is the requirement to clean the restrooms and the common areas every two hours,” Abrams said in June. “We laid off two part-time parks and recreation employees and one of them was tasked with cleaning Ocie Hill. We just can’t do it.”
Throughout the years the building has been known as the old Creveling School, the Mansfield Opportunities Industrial Center, the Human Resource Bureau and the Neighborhood Youth Corps. In 1996, it was renamed for Hill, whose photo still hangs in council chambers.
