Bids Begin For Use of Allocated Paulding County Brownfield and Residential Blight Funds
The Paulding County Land Reutilization (Land Bank) committee met for the first time in the new year at the county commissioner’s office.
The meeting opened with Estee Blair, representing Maumee Valley Planning Organization (MVPO), sharing that all projects that were allocated funds from the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) 2023-24 round of residential and commercial blight program have been completed. Blair reported that less than $500 went unused by the county from the entire $500,000 allocation.
Discussion then turned to the 2024-25 allocation of another $500,000. Paulding County had been so successful in the previous round that in this round there were 42 projects submitted from around the county. The MVPO team has put together a rough cost estimate of approximately $1.1 million worth of projects submitted. Blair explained that the land bank committee will need to put together some criteria to determine which projects will be funded, which may not be, or if all projects will be funded. It also needs to be understood what that would look like with property owner contribution. Ultimately, the number of projects that will be funded will be determined by how low, or high, bids come in from the demolition teams for the work.
Bid packets will immediately be sent out for commercial properties, those that are owned by the land bank or municipalities, and two house trailers. This will include the land bank owned trailer court at 802 North Main Street, and the former First Disciple Church of Christ property, at 220 North Williams Street in Paulding. The latter will be the site for the new Paulding Veterans Memorial. Also in Paulding the former food pantry building on the Paulding County Library campus at 119 South Main Street will be bid. Other projects bid in the first round will be land bank properties in Melrose, at 701 Main Street and 613 Paulding Street; the former village council building at 304 Main Street in Haviland; the former blacksmith shop property at 200 East Jackson Street in Grover Hill; the old tile barn located at 204 Harrmann Road and the old carwash building, located at 316 South Main Street, both in Antwerp; and house trailers located at 15583 Road 83 in Crane Township and 16712 State Route 613 in Jackson Township.
The agenda then turned to the brownfield remediation funding. The state has allocated $1 million dollars to the county for remediation in the county. Matt Wagner, with the environmental firm Tetra Tech updated the group on open projects. Later that afternoon Tetra Tech and the Paulding County Economic Development office hosted a pre-bid tour for interested demolition contractors that would like to bid on the former Mercer Landmark grain mill facility located at 301 Railroad Street in Antwerp. The mill, located on Patriot Railroad property, has not been in service for years and was most recently just for storage. The building will be leveled and backfilled with stone and used for semi turnaround and staging during harvest seasons.
Bids are being prepared for the former Grizzley brake and Stokely canning facilities in addition to the former JJ Ross Gas Station in Grover Hill.
County economic development director Tim Copsey brought new business to the table in regard to an offer for the sale of a land bank owned property. The committee went into executive session to discuss the offer came out of executive session with no action taken. Other potential properties for future remediation were then discussed. It was decided to work with property owners to see what their interest may be in working with the Land Bank in the future. The group will reconvene in February.
