ASHLAND — Perrysville Zoning Inspector Rodney Fry asked the Ashland County Land Bank board members if they would help fund the demolition of a property that poses significant safety risks at the Wednesday meeting.
The property is located at 137 North Bridge Street. The village has long sought its demolition.
The village opened a case in the Ashland County Common Pleas Court in April 2025 against the homeowner, Kim Stull, seeking a permanent injunction requiring the owner to “remedy the unsafe structure.”
Stull failed to file a response to the complaint in July, and therefore was in default, thus admitting to the village’s complaint, according to court records.
The case came as a result of a village inspection in 2023, which found the commercial building’s poor roof conditions and deteriorated brick siding violate Ohio building standards, according to court records.
“Overall, the exterior of the building was in very poor condition, and could become a serious safety hazard,” the inspection read. “The condition is so deteriorated that it may not be practical to repair the building. Complete removal may make more sense.”
The inspector returned to the Perrysville property for a follow-up inspection on Jan. 22, 2026, and the issues were not resolved.
Judge David Stimpert granted the village’s complaint request to demolish the building because of the safety hazards the building poses on March 3.
The complaint also asked for Stull to fund demolition or that a lien be placed on the property for demolition costs. But Stimpert wrote in his conclusion: “the court is not permitted to issue an advisory opinion regarding a demolition that has not yet occurred.”
If the land bank funds demolition, the village will not be responsible for placing the lien on the property, but the land bank may do so.
“I think we should play a role, and I think the first step is to get a quote of what it will cost,” Land Bank president and Ashland Mayor Matt Miller told Fry and the board.
Land Bank Executive Director Bill Harvey said he would compile that information to hopefully present at the April meeting.
Miller emphasized a court deeming a property a nuisance and allowing a village to pursue its demolition is significant and rare because the process is so lengthy.
But board member Tiffany Meyer noted demolition might be difficult because the building shares a wall with another property next door.
“It’s not that you can’t do it, it just makes the demo more expensive and more complicated,” she said.