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Demolition begins on Maryland Avenue School Building

By KRISTI R. GARABRANDT 3 min read

EAST LIVERPOOL -- Demolition of the Maryland Avenue School Building began Tuesday.

Crews from M&M Excavating of Vienna with three large excavators began tearing the building down and estimate to have the project complete in approximately two weeks. Completion of the project includes the demolition using wet methods, manual and mechanical means, removal of all debris and leveling of the land. The cost of the demolition is $345,075.

Former students at the school Bob Swogger, Mary Anderson and Cindy Grimm heard the building was being torn down and came to watch.

"We went to school there. We were the first class in there when they built in the seventh grade and we then when we left in the ninth grade, we were the first class out," Swogger said.

Swogger also said it was disappointing that it has to be torn down and that he thought the city could have done something with it.

"They did try to do different things. They tried to get kids things in there, gyms and stuff like that, but it didn't work," Swogger said. "It's a bad thing to see it go. Who knows what it's going to be. I hate to see it go, but it's just one of those things."

The demolition is a Brownfield project through the Columbiana County Land Bank which was awarded through the state's Brownfield Program approximately $1.2 million for the project.

The building had previously been abated of all asbestos by the Howland Company LLC at an estimated cost of $367,000. There was approximately 1.75 miles of asbestos-laden material abated when figuring by linear feet, or 8.58 square miles when figuring by square feet, removed from the building.

"This is a big win for the city. The city has owned this property for years and it has sat vacant," East Liverpool Mayor Greg Bricker said. "The land bank has helped the city in getting this building torn down. Approximately 25 square miles of asbestos has been abated and removed from the premises."

It is Bricker's hope that the city can future develop the six acres of land the building occupied. He is looking to start showing the property to realtors and/or developers in hopes of utilizing the land for new home construction. It's been approximately 15 to 20 years since a new home has been built in the city.

In addition to the school building, there have been 115 vacant blighted homes torn down in the city. This is also part of Bricker's plan to clean up the city and make room for new homes to be built.

"It's sad that it has to come down," Bricker said. "We are trying to show developers the opportunity we have with six total acres, one huge block here. Housing has been my number one goal since I started, so, it's tearing down the abandoned and blight and trying to build new."

"The commissioners would like to congratulate the mayor and his team for improving the city of East Liverpool and this is a great step forward," Columbiana County Commissioner Mike Halleck said. "We want to make East Liverpool a better place, and we are doing that. It will take time."

Kgarabrandt@mojonews.com

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