$7 million sought to clean up Valley brownfield sites

The Mahoning County Land Bank and the Western Reserve Port Authority have applied for a grant to clean up 11 Valley brownfield sites, with nine in Youngstown, one in Cambell and one in Sebring.

According to Debora Flora, executive director of the Land Bank, the grant applications are seeking financial support for remediation or demolition work at five locations, including the long-vacant South High School Field House, and environmental assessments at six other sites.

Also, the municipal governments of Youngstown, Campbell, and Sebring, the Youngstown City School District, and the Economic Action Group worked with the Land Bank and the Port Authority in applying for the grant.

"The overarching aim of these initiatives is to comprehensively clean up, environmentally assess and prepare multiple sites across the county for redevelopment," said Flora. "We're very confident about funding for work at the Field House because there is a strong likelihood of local matching funds. We're also very excited about the strong and growing coalition in support of these projects as a group."

Here are the sites needing remediation:

• South High School Field House, 1840 Erie St., Youngstown. The city of Youngstown currently owns the property. The site needs asbestos removal and demolition. 
• Youngstown Flea Building, 365 E. Boardman St., Youngstown. Owned by Derrick McDowell, the facility needs the windows replaced for potential asbestos in the window casing and possibly in the windows' glaze.
• Former Auto Parts Store, 1034 Wick Ave., Youngstown. Owned by the Land Bank. The roof has partially collapsed and needs asbestos removal, and unknown chemicals are inside the building. After the proposed cleanup, the building will be demolished.
• Silver's Vogue Shop Building, 27 W. Federal St., Youngstown. Faroq Moonda owns the building, and the basement has electric panel issues.
• Site of former McGuffey Mall, McGuffey Road at Garland Avenue, Youngstown. Cleanup of the former site of dry cleaners in the mall, soil.

Valley Christian Schools has proposed a new sports complex at the former Field House site and is raising money from private sources. State brownfield funding would reimburse Youngstown for its assistance to the work.

The six properties needing funding to do environmental assessments:

• JSI Properties, Inc. (former manufacturing building), 221 W. Georgia Ave., Sebring. 
• City Trust and Savings site, 3370 Wilson Ave., Campbell. The site had a dry cleaner and chemical residue at the location. 
• Hayes Elementary School site, 1616 Ford Ave., Youngstown.
• Adams Junior High School site, 2537 Cooper St., Youngstown.
• Princeton School site, 2546 Hillman St., Youngstown.
• West Elementary School site, 134 North Hazelwood Avenue, Youngstown.

The four Youngstown school buildings need further testing for potential redevelopment of the former school sites.

"Our local applications underscore the critical demand for brownfield remediation and demolition funding, a key factor in driving development in the Mahoning Valley and across Ohio," said Anthony Trevena, executive director of the Port Authority. "We look forward to working with our area's elected officials and state legislators to advocate for the Valley's interests to advance these 11 projects."

The brownfield cleanup requests are separate from a recent multi-county application for $155 million to the state's Appalachian Community Grant Program. 

Flora said the grants were applied for with the state last week.