EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio - On Tuesday, the city of East Liverpool began tearing down the old public middle school building on Maryland Avenue. 

The demolition was funded by the $1.2 million from the state of Ohio as part of the Brownfield Project. 

“This is to make our county overall a better place,” Mike Halleck, Columbiana county commissioner said. “The East End has had its challenges for some time and we all recognize that.”

As the walls of the building came crashing down, a small crowd of people were looking on - remembering the memories they had when they went to school there or played in the park.

“It’s been an eye sore for years so they need to do something,” Howard Snyder, who lives in East Liverpool and went to the school back in the 70’s said. 

The city will decide what will be put on the 6 acres of property. The Mayor of East Liverpool, Greg Bricker, is in favor of residential housing being built. 

“Housing’s been my number one issue,” he said. “We’ve only had I think a handful of new construction homes in the city in the past 15 years so we’re trying to build new housing and resize who our population is.”

Some people living in the area that spoke to 21 News, said they also want it to be residential so that the neighborhood can stay quiet. Others said they want to see something fun put in.

“They could put a mall maybe,” Johnna Thompson, who lives across the street from the old school said. “We don't have anything in East Liverpool for kids to go have fun and do. You have to go all the way to Boardman to actually go spend time with your family.”

Others want the recreational space that the school provided to stay.

“I'd like to see them put in like a playground and stuff like that for the little kids that live around here,” Snyder said. 

The mayor expects the demolition to be finished in a few weeks.