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Call demolition could be tough process

NEW CUMBERLAND — Economic development officials have not given up on the demolition of the Call buildings in downtown New Cumberland, but the project may require more finesse than first thought.

Hancock County commissioners learned on Thursday that the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle, which owns the property, is planning to rebid the demolition project soon.

BDC Executive Director Patrick Ford said a recent asbestos survey turned up nothing out of the ordinary and will help smooth the way for eventual demolition once the contract is rebid.

The BDC rejected the first round of bids as too expensive after learning the former Call’s Variety Store buildings, located at 102 and 104 N. Chester St., share a wall with the old John’s Diner building at 106 N. Chester St.

“We still don’t have answers to how we’re going to address that issue,” Ford said, noting that Mayor Linda McNeil has been leading negotiations with members of the William Fish family who own the property.

The owners obtained a building permit from the city in June so that they could replace the roof.

Demolition of the Call buildings likely will require a hold-harmless clause, which would absolve the BDC of any liability, as well as an easement from the property owner, Ford said.

Funding for the project will come from a $25,000 donation that the county received from Huntington National Bank and that was evenly matched by the BDC. Beautification work such as benches, landscaping and flowers will be paid for with a $10,000 grant from county commissioners.

The BDC purchased the Call buildings in an auction in September 2015 and took title to them in February.

The project to raze them and put a park in their place is part of a larger effort on the part of New Cumberland to identify and remediate dilapidated commercial and residential properties in the city — either by demolishing them or by renovating them. But funding for such projects is scarce.

The removal or rehabilitation of “bad” buildings also is a priority for the BDC, Ford said, because such structures often are an impediment to economic development. Economic development officials use the acronym B.A.D. to describe “brownfields, abandoned and dilapidated” buildings.

Ford said two citizens’ groups — the Rock Springs Redevelopment Task Force in Chester and the Brickyard Bend Task Force in New Cumberland — are prioritizing which buildings to demolish and which buildings to rehabilitate. Both groups are seeking the cooperation of property owners.

Ford also updated commissioners on the work being done at the old Taylor, Smith & Taylor pottery site in Chester. While a 30,000-square-foot building is being built on the upper site, crews continue their work of lead remediation on the riverbank and under the Ohio River waterline.

Phase 2 of the TS&T project would include the construction of a second building closer to the river, for either a light manufacturing or mixed office use, he said. Two prospects have already shown an interest in the riverfront site.

“The market saw this site languishing for 30 years, so now that they see investment and they see buildings going up, they see this as a viable option for a location,” Ford said. “Now the people who want that site want to have views of the river to take advantage of. One of the things we don’t do good enough in the Ohio River valley is capitalize on those views, so we’re showing an office building with some trees coming down so the prospects can see those filtered views of the river.”

The lead remediation part of the project includes the removal of some trees, the relocation of mussels and the stablization of the riverbank with riprap.

Ford said Hancock County’s larger inventory of available land, including TS&T and the 1,500 acres recently made available by Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort, will get more attention with the completion of two nearby ethane cracker plants. Hancock County is centrally located between the cracker plants in Bel­mont County, Ohio, and Beaver County, Pa.

“A lot of these spinoff industries are looking for places to locate, and it’s creating a lot of interest in the Mountaineer site and Phase 2 of (TS&T),” he said.

“Progress is being made,” Commissioner Joe Barnabei said. “I think you are a huge contributor to a lot of the economic activity in the Northern Panhandle.”

Also Thursday, commissioners:

¯ Appointed Mark A. Cooper Sr. and Jeffery P. Wargo to the Hancock County Parks and Recreation Board.

(Huba can be contacted at shuba@reviewonline.com)

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