“The commissioners partnered with Ross Twp. on this to basically split the cost with them because it has been such an eyesore and a blight to that area,” said Butler County Community Development Manager Desmond Maaytah. “The commissioners agreed to pay up to $15,000 because our original estimate was $30,000 to take it down.”
The county is using CDBG funds because the property doesn’t qualify for land bank funding, because it isn’t in tax foreclosure. The township paid $165,000 for the property in January and Ross Twp. Administrator Bob Bass said they will likely build a government services facility on it. Their fire station sits right next door.
“More than likely what we’re looking at is some sort of a government use building,” he said. “It could be fire department, it could be a multipurpose building for fire, police, administration and a meeting hall, but the exact details of what they (trustees) are going to do with it have not been solidified yet.”
It was a popular eatery not so long ago, but Bass said the building was old, many repairs were needed and the Great Recession combined were the death knell for the business.
“At one point in time it pretty much was one of the main gathering places in the township,” Bass said. “From what I understand they had some pretty good food in there and everyone I’ve talked to that ate there said that they really were sad to see it close.”
The county has two ways of dealing with blighted buildings, through the land bank and by using CDBG funds. Maaytah said they try to tear down about eight unsightly structures a year and it usually costs about $10,000 per building. The CDBG demolition budget for this year is expected to be about $26,000, but Maaytah said there are usually left over funds from other projects that can be used.
The county land bank was formed two years ago to deal with blighted buildings in Hamilton and Middletown — those cities provided matching money for a $2.7 million state grant. After the county commissioners agreed to siphon 1 percent of delinquent tax and assessment collection funds (DTAC) to bolster the land bank last year the opportunity for funding was extended county-wide.
County Treasurer Nancy Nix said Ross Twp. is the first and only jurisdiction outside the two big cities to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the land bank. The DTAC funds are expected to bring in about $155,000 but Nix said funding has been trickling in so far this year.
“There haven’t been any substantive contributions since year-end from forfeited land sales or DTAC and won’t be for at least a couple more months,” Nix said.
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