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County may tear down Seven Mile gas station

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By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer Updated 7:31 PM Thursday, September 17, 2009

HAMILTON — An eyesore that has sat abandoned in the heart of the village of Seven Mile for a more than a decade may be turned into a community park, Butler County commissioners said this morning.

County leaders Thursday, Sept. 17, said they would be willing to use part of a $4.2 million federal grant meant to improve the housing market on buying and tearing down an old gas station at the intersection of Ohio 127 and Ritter Street. This followed earlier objections from Commission President Donald Dixon, who worried that underground tanks at the old station might be leaking, which could cost the county untold millions.

Seven Mile Mayor Vivian Gorsuch told commissioners Thursday that Dixon’s comments concerned residents, who have been working to tear down the gas station since it was abandoned in 1995.

Commissioners said they would be on board if they could get an opinion from the county prosecutor or Environmental Protection Agency saying they would not be liable for any leakage.

“That has been an eyesore for a number of years,” said Commissioner Charles Furmon. “I don’t think we’re going to have another opportunity like this one.”

Gorsuch said she wants to pave the quarter-acre lot and “bring in things like a bookmobile, Flubs (ice cream shop), a farmer’s market.”

The abandoned property’s value is listed at $19,500 on the Butler County Auditor’s Office Web site, though the property also has liens against it. County officials estimate they can demolish the structure and remove the tanks for $32,000.

“We’re feeling we can get this done fairly cheap,” said Community Development Director Donna Everson.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or jsweigart@coxohio.com.

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