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Demo of Terrace Motel begins July 8
Photo
Boardman Township trustee Brad Calhoun gets a close look at the front entrance of the Terrace Motel, an eyesore on Market Street in the township that is finally coming down in July.
BOARDMAN
It’s been 10 years since the Terrace Motel was declared a public nuisance by township officials.
The eyesore on Market Street that police and firefighters were called to 45 times in the first 10 months of 2003 for theft, drug use and other complaints will be checked for asbestos and demolished beginning July 8.
The job is estimated to be finished within 30 calendar days.
The township accepted a $24,860 bid from Pro Quality Land Development Inc. of Campbell to complete the work. The demolition will be funded from a $75,000 grant from the Community Development Block Grant program.
Anthony Traficanti, Mahoning County commissioner, said Boardman Township made an initial presentation to the commissioners earlier this year for grant funding. The township submitted the proposal, and the commissioners approved the funds for the job.
“It’s a good thing to do,” Traficanti said. “It’s a great way to reinvest your money back into the community. It’s something people can see.”
“What this symbolizes is a couple things,” Trustee Larry Moliterno said during a press conference at the property Monday afternoon. “It symbolizes the partnership we have with the county. ... I think it also shows the commitment of the township to say that we are going to work very hard to maintain the integrity of our neighborhoods.”
Moliterno added this is only the beginning for the township to rid itself of unwanted properties, saying the township has a number of houses scheduled for demolition.
“We’re going to be working closely within our community and with our neighborhoods to make sure that we take care of these types of properties,” he said.
The money, per grant requirements, must be spent by Dec. 31, and township officials said they would like to see green space where the motel once stood.
“We are a mature community, and we’ve had a lot of growth, and now I think we’re going for a next generation ... of growth in the township,” Moliterno said. “We’re looking forward to seeing a nice piece of green space here in the very near future.”
He added that commercial development isn’t out of the question as long as the township is able to control more of these types of lands.
Traficanti said once the property is site ready, a new business might be attracted to it.
Moliterno said it has taken such a long time to get to this point because of the lengthy process the township had to follow to apply for the grant and then go through the formal bidding process.
“Unfortunately, some of those things take a little bit longer than we would like to see it get done,” Moliterno said. “But the good news is we’re understanding the process, so as we move into the future ... we’ll be able to speed through it a little bit faster.”
The community has wanted the motel to come down for some time, Moliterno said.
“People are ecstatic that we’re moving forward on this,” he added.