MOUNT VERNON — Demolition began today on the buildings that formerly housed Terrifi-Kleen and Bee Line Service at 7 and 9 N. Norton St. Demolition of the adjacent parcel at 503 W. High St., the site of the former Sport N Shoes and Team Sports, will soon follow.
The Knox County Land Bank bought the Norton Street parcel in January for $350,000. It bought 503 W. High St. in June 2021 for $500,000.
The Knox County Commissioners are interested in the site as a possible location for a new operations center for Knox Area Transit. County Administrator Jason Booth previously said that the site is attractive because it is a central location and has walkability. The lot’s proximity to Cooper Progress Park is another positive.
The land bank does not have a signed contract with the commissioners to buy the property.
“The buildings had to be demolished before they are interested in buying it,” Sam Filkins, vice president of the land bank, said.
The land bank has applied to the state’s Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program to cover the estimated demolition cost of $42,000. The state is behind on approving applications due to labor shortages.
Filkins expects demolition and clean-up to take five to seven days. Crews will remove the asphalt, and then add topsoil and grass seed.
KAT applied in January for an $8.38 million facilities grant through the Ohio Department of Transportation. KAT Director Martin McAvoy told the commissioners last month that ODOT feedback on the application was “very positive.”
“Our project scored well,” he said. “They had a few additional questions about location.”
McAvoy told Knox Pages today that the county and ODOT are still working through the process.
“There’s hoops to jump through,” he said.
The $8.38 million estimated cost covers property acquisition, demolition, architecture fees, and construction for a maintenance facility and vehicle storage at 601 W. Chestnut Street in addition to the operations center. McAvoy expects the cost to come down since additional funding has been secured since he submitted the application.
