The Scioto County Landbank has wrapped of demolition and will now concentrate on selling the properties left behind after blighted houses were removed.
“We’re done tearing houses down,” Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis said. He also said that that the County managed to accomplish it with grant money without having to dip into county coffers. “Looks like we’re gonna end up after all bills are paid somewhere in the black on that around $19,000.”
Davis said he wouldn’t call it a moneymaking venture as the plan is to sell off the reclaimed properties and use the money to tear down even more blighted structures. Commissioners were proud of the Landbank’s accomplishments. The original goal was to tear down 110 blighted houses and they were actually able to remove 115.
As for the future, there are still over 100 houses that the county would like to demolish. Davis said the Landbank is searching for funding sources and that Federal programs are now shifting to focus on blighted commercial structures.
Davis said the county is working on several blighted gas stations, but that can be tricky due to the need to remove underground gas storage tanks. Some of these properties have been vacant so long people might not even be aware that the storage tanks are there
