ASHLAND — A vacant school building in Ashland may soon be demolished.
The former Arthur Street school building, located at 416 Arthur St., was officially closed by Ashland City Schools in 1981. It was still used to house administrative offices until 2016.
A recent agreement between the city of Ashland and the Ashland County Land Bank means the building may be one step closer to demolition.
Near the end of January, the Ashland County Land Bank approved a $35,000 contribution to help the city acquire the 0.95-acre property. Ashland lawmakers finalized the city’s end of the deal Tuesday night — unanimously authorizing the purchase of 416 Arthur St.
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According to the Ashland County Auditor’s website, the property is owned by Simplified Living LLC.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller said The Peoples Bank of Gambier has a $65,000 lien on the property.
The lien was originally in the ballpark of $95,400, but Miller, along with the help of a local realtor, was able to negotiate the lien down with the bank through an attorney representing Simplified Living LLC.
The city will be the sole purchaser of the property for $65,000. Once the purchase is finalized, the city will invoice the Ashland County Land Bank for its $35,000 contribution — leaving the city’s share at $30,000.
“The city is in a much better position to qualify for grant funding to help clean up the property than a private property owner would be,” Miller said.
Simonson Construction Services provided the city with a $200,000 estimate to demolish the building and prepare the site for redevelopment.
Following council’s approval, the mayor said next steps include discussions with the state regarding the possibility of grant funding for the project.
“I know the neighbors in that area will be thrilled because they have waited a long time to see that property cleaned up and it just continues to get worse,” Miller said.
“I know a lot of people have strong feelings about what they consider to be old historic buildings, but the reality is if a building is such that it would merit to be fixed up, you can probably find a developer to do it. But most developers that have seen that property have come to the conclusion it was insurmountable to do so,” he said.