SIDNEY – The property at 632 Second Ave. in Sidney should be demolished within a week, Director Doug Ahlers reported during the July 7 Shelby County Land Reutilization Corp. meeting.
Additionally, the Land Bank recently acquired through foreclosure a property at 310 Enterprise Ave. in Sidney that likely will be demolished as well.
“I have not been in it yet, but I anticipate it will be demolished,” Ahlers said. “It’s in a really big state of disrepair.”
Other properties in foreclosure include a property owned by Gary Waters at 326 W. Park St. in Sidney, a property owned by Richard Dulaney at 16999 County Road 25A in Botkins, a property owned by Barbara Schloss at 304 High St. in Port Jefferson and a property owned by Larkin Davis at 212 Sophia Ave. in Sidney.
In the past month the Land Bank completed the sale of a property on North Main Street in Jackson Center to the village, the sale of the property at 751 State Route 589 in Conover through a sealed bid and the transfer of a property in Plattsville to the Green Township trustees.
In total, the Land Bank has acquired 89 units, demolishing 75 of them and selling 14.
A property the Land Bank previously had discussed, 10444 Museum Trail Road in Lockington, was destroyed in a fire July 1. The Land Bank had been unable to acquire the property because of problems with the deed, Ahlers said. The Land Bank will not seek to acquire the property, but the village of Lockington might, he said.
A property owner has approached the Land Bank about donating a property. While he’s open to accepting donations, Ahlers said, he’s wary of the proposition in this instance.
“I don’t want to be his endgame,” Ahlers said of the man, who has multiple properties in disrepair. “I want him to try to market his properties while they’re still marketable.”
The Land Bank continues to look for funding that could help clean up industrial sites in the county, including the former Wagner foundry in Sidney.
“There’s hope on the horizon, but again it’s just hope,” Ahlers said. “There is some movement to try to get that, but I think there’s going to be a lot of needs for a lot of money a lot of places.”
The Land Bank is in the process of 2018 and 2019 state audits. The estimated cost is $8,610.
The Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Ohio Land Banks and their use of expedited tax foreclosures. The ruling will help shield Land Banks across the state from lawsuits, Ahlers said. And Shelby County’s use of a full foreclosure process protects it further, he said.
The Land Bank’s next meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 4 in the Shelby County Annex.
