Harrison County taking possession of former truck stop

Harrison County moves to obtain abandoned structure

CADIZ -- Harrison County officials took steps recently to take possession of an abandoned structure in the county, hoping to someday get some use out of the property.

At Wednesday's meeting of the Harrison County Board of Commissioners, the board passed a resolution allowing the county Community Improvement Corp. to take possession of the former Tappan Lake Truck Stop, located at 37827 Cadiz-Dennison Road, via eminent domain. The resolution allows the CIC to act as an agent of the county commissioners, and "is hereby authorized and directed to prosecute an eminent domain legal proceeding for the purpose of remediating the dangerous environmental conditions existing."

Commissioner Paul Coffland explained that the building has been abandoned for years, and county officials have had no luck in contacting the people they believe to be the owners of the property. The commissioners decided to pass the resolution, as the property is both an eyesore to residents and passersby and a possible environmental hazard -- the former gas station has underground fuel tanks, which could possibly leak chemicals into the surrounding environment. Coffland said "every effort has been made" to contact the owners of the property, with no luck, causing county leaders to revert to the eminent domain plan.

"This is just the next step, at no cost to the county," Coffland said.

The property, according to commissioners, has a negative value of more than $100,000. The plan is to have an environmental group come in and clean up the property, making sure that the underground tanks are not posing a risk. Once the site is cleared by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, ownership will revert back to the county. Commissioners aren't sure yet what they might use the property for but are hopeful that it can be put to good use. Coffland added that the county will be paying for the work with the use of grant money.

"We're getting a lot of assistance, and the county isn't putting any dollars into this," said Commissioner Don Bethel.