MANSFIELD — Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday congratulated local officials for “aggressively” pursuing state approval of state funds to demolish and clean up former Westinghouse manufacturing sites in Mansfield.
“They know how to use the phone. Let’s say that,” DeWine said with a laugh during an announcement outside the former Westinghouse “A” building at 200 E. Fifth St. on the city’s east side.
DeWine was in town to announce another $3 million had been approved by the Ohio Dept. of Development for the work, which will demolish the “A” building and remediate the site, including the adjoining 13-acre “concrete” jungle.
The funds will come from the $500 million set aside in the state’s biennial budget for demolition and brownfield remediation.
Each of the state’s 88 counties, as part of the two-year state budget approved this year, are guaranteed $500,000 in demolition funds and $1 million in brownfield remediation dollars.
With DeWine’s announcement on Tuesday, a total of $4 million has been awarded for the project to clean up the decaying, six-story eyesore and property that has largely sat idle since the manufacturer closed local operations in 1990.
The Richland County Land Bank applied for $7.7 million of the funds in December, including the “A” building.
DeWine thanked the state legislature for setting aside the funds for the statewide efforts, including state Sen. Mark Romanchuk and state Rep. Marilyn John, both from Richland County.
“One of the big picture projects that we’ve taken on since I became governor is really investing in Ohioans and investing in our infrastructure. And in some places, you have an old building like this, the best way to invest in the infrastructure is for the cleanup.
“So I know this has been a priority for the county commissioners, for the mayor and for the community,” DeWine said.
The governor recognized efforts in recent years to revitalize downtown Mansfield, being done largely through cooperative local efforts identified in the Mansfield Rising plan.
“Today, I’m happy to announce that through our program, the Richland county Land Bank will receive a $3 million grant to go towards the demolition of this building and the removal of acres of concrete, buried petroleum tanks and hazardous chemicals from this site.
“We know that these cleanups can be very expensive and this $3 million will certainly help to get this project done,” DeWine said.
(This is a developing story and will be updated.)
