MOUNT VERNON — Eighteen months after taking control of the former Siemens facility, the Knox County Land Bank officially owns the property.
Most of it, anyway.
Land Bank President Jeff Gottke recorded two deeds and an easement earlier this week that covers about 70% of the property in Cooper Progress Park.
“We own 20 acres, Schlumberger owns eight acres,” he said during a March 4 land bank meeting. “A survey is underway to survey each building individually.”
The next step is to create site plans to take to the city’s Municipal Planning Commission. The plans will then go before Mount Vernon City Council.
“The survey will produce new deeds, but they won’t be official until the Municipal Planning Commission approves a lot split for each new parcel,” Gottke explained. “The site plans are a separate approval process, but we will present both the lot split and site plan at the same time for approval.”
In addition to the deed for the eight-acre parcel, Schlumberger still has the deeds to three parking lots.
The land bank will prioritize the capital improvement projects needed in CPP and seek grant money to cover the cost. As far as interested businesses in the CPP pipeline, there are two that are seriously looking to buy.
“One has been waiting, one is new,” Gottke said. “So once we get all of this stuff done, we can pull the trigger on that.”
The land bank applied to the Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program for funding on 12 projects. Under the program, which is a new initiative in the state’s 2022-23 budget, each county receives $500,000.
“The Land Bank Association has been working a long time to get money for this program,” Gottke said. “There was a lot of money for residential, but not for commercial.”
Sam Filkins, land bank vice president, said most of the projects are in Cooper Progress Park, but also include one in Danville, two in Fredericktown, and the structures at 503 W. High St. and 7-9 N. Norton St. Demolition is expected to start in March or April.
The application listed $450,000 in demolition costs and $50,000 for administrative costs. Administrative costs include permits.
Filkins said the land bank had grant money for demolition of 503 W. High. That money will now be used for other projects.
Also included in the state’s 2022-23 budget is another new program for brownfield remediation. Each county will receive $1 million.
Filkins will submit two projects: asbestos removal in the administration building in Cooper Progress Park and removal of the concrete pad formerly used by American National Can in the Shellmar parcel. The asbestos removal will account for 60% of the $1 million.
Updates on other land bank projects:
•Design plans for the former Mount Vernon News building are 75% complete. Filkins will apply for a $2 million grant from the Vibrant Communities program through Jobs Ohio. “There are six regions in Ohio; they have never had a project in this region,” Filkins said.
•An application to remove the Shellmar parcel from the flood plain has been submitted to FEMA. The parcel is now listed with the Genesee & Wyoming Railroad as having rail access. Filkins said interest has gone up significantly since the Intel announcement.
•The house at 604 E. Ohio Ave. sold to a homeowner in February. The land bank acquired the house in February 2021 and sold it to Luke Nelson in April 2021 for rehab.
•Renovations at the house at 650 Fairgrounds Road will be completed, and the house will go on the market in the next few weeks. “It will be nice to have a second project that will be done this year,” Filkins said.
•The land bank closed on the properties at 7 N. Norton St. and 9 N. Norton St. Clean-out will begin this weekend.
•The former guest house for Cooper-Cameron at 401 N. Main St. is in contract. Filkins expects to close mid-March.
