SEBRING, Ohio – What is today a roughly $640,000 project to demolish the former industrial space on West Georgia Avenue has been financially out of reach for the small village for generations.
Mayor David Wright, a lifetime resident, said the 4.5-acre industrial property has been vacant for as long as he can remember.
“Every year it’s gotten worse as the decades go on,” Wright said. “I mean, pretty much most of the roof was collapsed.”
Wright said the property’s proximity to homes and a local park, as well as the potential for a fire, were concerns. Last week, the deteriorated building began coming down, thanks to a partnership between the Mahoning County Land Bank, the Mahoning County commissioners, the Ohio Department of Development and the village.
“I’m excited,” Wright said. “I’m so excited I could nearly cry.”
The structure housed Pressweld Inc.’s operation during the 1950s and 1960s, producing vintage youth vehicles and racing karts, quarter midgets and go-karts, according to the land bank. Prior to that, Strong Enamel Works moved to Sebring in 1912 from Bellaire, Ohio, producing enameled cooking utensils, light reflectors, stove parts and military mess gears until the early 1950s.
Now Sebring owns the property, and Wright said he hopes once the site is cleared and restored, it can once again become the site of light industrial or manufacturing jobs in the community. He intends to list the site as available with Lake to River Economic Development.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to redevelop it, bring a business of some sort in here or expand one of the businesses that we currently have in here,” Wright said.
Debora Flora, executive director of the Mahoning County Land Bank, said the organization has nearly $600,000 in Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program funds, authorized by the Ohio Department of Development, available for the project.
Although there was some asbestos in the building, it was removed, and Flora said the property doesn’t qualify as a brownfield because there are no environmental concerns about underground contamination.
The ODD funds had been slated for other local projects that didn’t come to fruition, so the demolition project was a good way to use the funds, Flora said.
Flora credited the ODD with allowing the land bank to pivot. She also credited the county commissioners with providing matching funds. Commissioner Anthony Traficanti, who, along with Commissioner Geno DiFabio, attended an event Friday to mark the demolition, said commissioners contributed $105,000 toward the project.
Traficanti said such projects don’t happen without collaboration. He said he has worked closely with Sebring’s mayor, former mayor and Village Council.
“Your community is very, very aggressive when it comes to remediating these properties, and you can see what’s happening here,” Traficanti said. “This is a beautiful piece of land, and it’s going to be very productive.”
The village has contributed about $30,000 to the project and has committed up to $70,000.
Siegel Excavating of Edinburg, Pa., began clearing the debris last week. Already, the site Wright said he drove past nearly every day looks bigger and more open than he realized.
Wright said the demolition is the second major project the land bank has helped Sebring tackle, following the redevelopment of the former Royal China property.
Flora said money is available for other projects, through ODD and other sources, and communities across the county can continue to reach out to the land bank and communicate their needs.
“We want this to be a continuous flow of improvement throughout Mahoning County,” Flora said. “There’s hardly a community in Mahoning County right now that hasn’t benefited from the land bank in one way or another, and those last couple will probably be knocking on our door.”
Pictured at top: Mayor David Wright.