Coshocton County seeks state funding for brownfields, demolition
COSHOCTON — Coshocton County is targeted to receive $1.5 million in grants from the Ohio Department of Development that will poise properties for future development.
The Coshocton Port Authority is pursuing $1 million from the Brownfield Remediation Program and the Coshocton County Land Reutilization Corporation, commonly known as the land bank, is seeking $500,000 from the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program.
Tiffany Swigert, executive director of the Coshocton Port Authority, said this funding is being offered to all counties in Ohio. However, there is expected to be money leftover from counties who don't request the funds or use all allotted. That money will then go into a competitive grant program Swigert wants to make sure Coshocton is ready to go after, includes having properties identified for the project.
Money from the demolition and revitalization program is to be reserved by July 1. Deadline for round one of the brownfield grants is Jan. 31, with the competitive round two from March 1 to April 30. A round three for any unused money will be from July 1 to Sept. 30.
There are 10 properties targeted so far and Swigert is still taking recommendations from township trustees and other officials. Of those properties, seven are privately owned and Swigert said she's in talks with property owners to participate or move sites into the land bank or port authority's hands. The location of those properties is not being released at this time. Two are former industrial sites inside the city and the rest are residential structures with two in the city and others in Dresden, Walhonding and Brinkhaven.
The three announced are the former Pike Township building on County Road 80 in Frazeysburg, a vacant home in the 1800 block of Chestnut Street where Brianna Ratliff was murdered and the former Steel Ceilings property at the end of North Third Street where the new Coshocton Justice Center will be built. Swigert said phase one brownfield assessments have been done at Steel Ceilings and this funding will help with further required analysis.
Swigert said the funding would help to ready properties for future development, whether that be for new businesses or housing. Mayor Mark Mills has talked about wanting the Chestnut Street property turned into some sort of green space with a tribute to Ratliff.
The brownfield assessments are to be done by BJAAM Environmental of Canal Fulton, which has previously done such work in the county. The assessment work will be paid from the grant funding, with no money coming from county coffers.
llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com
@llhayhurst
740-295-3417
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: County seeks state funding for brownfields, demolition
