T-L File Photo Monroe County Treasurer Taylor Abbott, chairman of the county land bank, left, speaks to fellow board members. The board approved 26 properties for demolition during its meeting last week. Also pictured is Prosecutor James Peters.

WOODSFIELD — The Monroe County land bank recently approved 26 blighted properties to be demolished throughout the county in the coming year.

The land bank board met Monday afternoon to finalize the list of properties. Board members selected properties in Antioch, Duffy, Graysville, Hannibal, Lewisville, Woodsfield, Sardis, Beallsville, Clarington and Fly for demolition.

The land bank will now submit the finalized list of intended properties for demolition to the Ohio Department of Development as part of its application for $500,000 in grant funding.

County Treasurer Taylor Abbott, chairman of the board, said the majority of properties approved by the board were submitted by land owners — 23 of the 26 properties. The other three are owned by the land bank.

“Twenty-three land owners gave their permission to have (structures) demolished and they retain ownership (of the property),” he said, adding that a few landowners have offered to donate their properties to the land bank following demolition. “We’re right around our max (amount of properties to submit to the state), which is 30. We feel confident that these properties will be approved.”

The application deadline is Feb. 28.

Once the state approves the application, Abbott said the board will begin requesting bids from qualified contractors to raze the buildings.

Everything regarding demolition must be in order by June 30.

“It’s all going to hinge on what the state approves, but we’re confident that all these projects that were submitted are going to be approved. After that, hopefully the bids come in where we need them to and we can award them out and schedule for demo,” he said.

Abbott said demolition work will occur between July 1, 2022, and May 1, 2023.

The land bank is also hoping to secure additional funding of around $1 million through the Brownfields program that will be available in April.

The funding opportunity is aimed at razing structures deemed environmental hazards due to lead, asbestos or other ground contaminations. Abbott said the opportunity will allow the land bank to raze former school buildings in the county.

“We’ve already spoken with the (Monroe County) Port Authority about the Clarington grade school, and we’ve talked to the Beallsville First and Goal Club, a nonprofit, about the school there being razed. We’re also working with Long Ridge Energy, who is going to apply through the land bank to seek funding to remediate and remove subterranean concrete on their site at the former Ormet site,” he said, adding that Long Ridge Energy will provide a 25 percent match.

Abbott said board members are looking forward to getting the projects underway and removing blight from the county.

“The response from landowners has been great. … We’re moving forward and very excited about it. For the county, it’s going to be a good start because there are blighted properties and there’s a history there of people complaining about some properties in the county, not necessarily these ones, but people in general have complained about blighted properties. So for us, what our hope is that people see the value of what this program is doing and we hope the state recognizes the success of it as well and counties to offer up funding in the future to continue doing these projects,” he said, adding that the board is working to secure seed money through delinquent tax collection and through the sale of some of the properties deeded over to the land bank.

In other matters, Christine Crowell was appointed as the land bank treasurer during Monday’s meeting.

The board will next meet at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday inside the Monroe County Courthouse in Woodsfield.