As part of renewal, officials work at removing eyesores

Despite efforts, some buildings remain that residents and officials have identified as eyesores.
AUSTINTOWN -- While some business owners are constructing new buildings in the township, other people have worked to demolish or repair older buildings that have been described as eyesores.
In March, Second National Bank demolished the remaining greenhouses and buildings on Mahoning Avenue that once housed Country Gardens. The bank sold the property in late June to a Michigan owner.
The former Little Lotto Shack on Mahoning Avenue, which once had "Moved Next to Kmart" written on its side in black spray paint, also has been torn down by its owner.
Don Hall, chief building official for Mahoning County, also noted that two vacant gas stations and the vacant Buttermilk Acres pottery building were torn down to make way for the construction of Handel's, Bruster's and a new plaza.
Hall added he's working to ensure that a vacant building at 3655 Oakwood Ave., declared "unfit for human occupancy" by the county, is repaired. He said the building's new owner has agreed to repair it and turn it into a storage business.
The county also has ordered the demolition of a vacant building at the corner of Lanterman Road and Mildred Street and is working to address problems at a vacant duplex on Washington Square Drive, Hall said.
"Slowly but surely, we're getting to" the eyesores, Hall said.
Eliminating eyesores
Despite the efforts of Hall and other business owners, some buildings remain that residents and officials have identified as eyesores.
Residents at meetings for 20/20-Austintown, an effort to create a plan for the township, expressed concern about how the eyesores reflect on the community.
The dilapidated former Schiavone Family Food Market, for example, stands empty at the corner of Mahoning Avenue and North Wickliffe Circle, as does the former Vic and Syl's Restaurant on South Raccoon Road.
Hall noted that county building inspectors must receive a complaint about a building before they can have it torn down and that no complaints have been filed about Vic and Syl's or Schiavone's. Those who file a complaint must pay $30.
"Anyone who wants to send one in, we'll take a look at them," Hall said.
hill@vindy.com