ASHLAND – Ashland County Land Reutilization Corporation is taking steps toward ownership of the Pump House Ministries building at 400 Orange Street.
Members of the land bank board voted Wednesday to authorize land bank president and county commissioner Denny Bittle to request a deed in lieu of foreclosure on the property from the county auditor.
Bittle said Pump House Ministries founder and president Bruce Wilkinson has agreed to this arrangement, which would result in a faster resolution than a forced foreclosure.
The arrangement would allow the land bank to acquire the property at no cost, and it would eliminate the real estate taxes owed on the property.
Bittle said the land bank is also working to have the federal lien on the property removed and talking with private individuals who are willing to pay off a $24,500 mechanic’s lien on the property.
The building needs new windows, roof work, elevator work and some interior remodeling, all of which the private individuals intend to fund.
The end use for the property has not yet been determined, Bittle said, but land bank members feel the building has potential for public or private use. The property could potentially be used as a service center for the community or as a private building with spaces for rent, Bittle said.
Bittle emphasized Pump House Ministries will not receive a dime from the land bank’s acquisition of the property.
Pump House Ministries has operated out of 400 Orange Street since 2003, when Jim Landoll and Marty Myers gave the ministry a 14-acre industrial complex that included all the former F.E. Myers and Landoll buildings.
The main building is the last of the properties in the complex to be owned by Pump House. The building has been listed for sale since July 2018.
In other business, the land bank board moved to authorize Bittle to purchase 118 West Fourth Street. The authorization is contingent on private donations to fund the purchase.
According to Bittle, the multi-unit apartment building is a frequent location of drug complaint calls to Ashland Police Department.
Private individuals are negotiating a sale price with the property owner and will donate the sale amount to the land bank for the purchase.
The land bank plans to demolish the structure using grant funding, according to Bittle. Tenants of the building will need to relocate.
