Highland County land bank board meets for first time since April

In their first meeting in four months, members of the Highland County Land Reutilization Corporation (land bank) board were updated on the summer’s activities and ongoing projects.

It was announced in May that former Highland County Land Bank Coordinator Mackenzie Edison resigned, after serving in that role for one year. The land bank board has not had a public meeting since April.

As previously reported, the Highland County Board of Commissioners voted July 12 to hire Jason Johansen as the next land bank coordinator. He was welcomed by the board Thursday, with HCLRC president Terry Britton giving him an official introduction at the start of the meeting.

“We didn't have a meeting last month because he was just coming on board, and I wanted him to get his feet wet as far as the operation,” Britton said.

Since starting in the position July 17, Johansen said he has has “a lot to learn” but has been working to meet individuals in the community and familiarize himself with the land bank.

“At the end of July, [land bank legal counsel] Todd Book and I went to a networking meeting in Mansfield,” he told the board. “I learned a lot of stuff there about the new grants coming out in the fall. I’ve had a lot of contact with the townships, village administrators, just different people trying to get a list together for the new grants.

“Last week, I went to the County Commissioners Association Conference and met quite a few people there, a lot of land bank personnel, and learned a lot of tips and met a lot of people that I can contact moving forward if I need any help.”

Book said “it’s been good getting to know” Johansen in the past month.

“He’s jumping in, in the middle of a lot of good things, exciting things, happening in the land bank world,” Book said. “He’ll be able to master all those things and take care of them, so I look forward to working with him.”

For the “new grants” mentioned by Johansen, among the announcements this summer was the passage of the 2024-25 state operating budget, which includes another $350 million for the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program and $150 million for the Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program.

As previously reported, a total of 19 properties in Hillsboro (11), Mowrystown (five) and Lynchburg (three) were cleaned up through the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization, with the demolition of various structures, including houses and an abandoned barn. Two projects — the former Rocky Fork Truck Stop in Rainsboro and the former East Monroe Mill — were funded in Highland County through the Brownfield Remediation grants.

Britton spoke about the importance of being “ahead of the game” as they await guidance on additional grant funding from the state.

“The projects are both commercial and residential again, so we've got kind of the same situation that we had last time,” he said. “We need to try to compile what we want to go after, so Jason will be working on that and talking to the cities and villages.”

For current Brownfield projects, Johansen shared the latest updates from environmental consultant Matt Wagner of TetraTech, who was unable to attend in person.

For the East Monroe Mill, the property cleanup is “finished,” Johansen said, and the “quarter two report for March through June has been submitted. Once approved, we’re ready for the final report.” As noted during the financial reports, they have also had to submit a revised reimbursement request to the state.

In addition, “monitoring wells are going in as we speak” at the site of the former Rocky Fork Truck Stop, according to Johansen.

“Those are where these monitoring pieces go in between contaminated soil at one point and drinking supply or any type of water supply, to my understanding,” Johansen said. “Matt says that the owners are up to date on everything going on and looking forward to the completion.

“The quarter two report for March through June has also been submitted for that, and it's pending approval, and I have also submitted a reimbursement request for $317,111.14, and that covers March through June invoices.”

Johansen added that TetraTech has been paid $227,000, but requests for reimbursement from the state “have been rejected a few times,” as they needed “some additional documentation.”

For the Building Demolition and Site Demolition grant, Johansen said that there is “$77,895 left over in additional funding that we didn't spend for those projects” that the county will now be permitted to use. Britton said that the state “opened it back up” for them to be able to use the money not already expended.

“We have some lists put together,” Johansen said. “I'm thinking that we can just pull from that list and maybe get a few projects done with that remaining money.”

According to Johansen, Wagner also encouraged the county to start identifying potential sites for the additional Brownfield funds, such as a tank on the site of the former Buford school or the former Gross-Feibel building in Hillsboro.

“This is probably the last time this brownfield money is going to come through for the foreseeable future,” Book added.

Johansen and Book said that the HCLRC has acquired two new properties over the summer, at least one of which may be cleaned up using state funding.

A property at 9955 U.S. 62 in the Samantha area was donated to the land bank, and another property, at 6747 Heather Moor Trail, is now in the land bank’s possession following tax foreclosure. Book said that he was going to have both properties recorded Thursday, after the board meeting.

“I know the 9955 U.S. 62 in Samantha, there is a house there that we should probably put toward the ODOD [Ohio Department of Development] grant, if we can,” Johansen said.

“That’s the good thing, that we'll be able to use some cleanup monies, especially on properties we own, so we'll be able to clean those up and get them ready for sale,” Book added.

Board member Randy Mustard said that the Heather Moor Trail property also needs cleaned up, but “there’s a squatter living in” the house on the lot. Book said that they could “talk about” next steps.

In other discussion:

• For the three Hillsboro properties currently in the HCLRC’s possession, the land bank board voted 5-0 to approve a bid package proposal drafted by Edison before stepping down.

According to Book, the proposals “establishes a minimum bid” for the properties as follows: 229 East South Street and 453 East Main Street, $12,000 each; and 622 South East Street, $10,000.

Book suggested setting a bid opening for the properties on Oct. 13.

Also approved was a bid package proposal for maintenance services, including “lawn care and mowing,” for the Hillsboro properties.

• The board approved an agreement for economic development for the old water tower property in the village of Leesburg.

In July 2022, Edison had advised that the property was currently empty and was owned by the Village of Leesburg. The village wanted to turn the parcel over to the land bank to sell it because “it’s too small, according to their ordinance, to build a new dwelling on it.”

The village is also not permitted to sell property and wanted to use the land bank as a channel to sell or transfer the parcel to a neighboring parcel owner, Edison had said.

According to Johansen, the agreement approved Thursday meant the neighboring parcel owner would acquire the land, and “the Village of Leesburg would not have to maintain the property anymore. By the village of Leesburg giving [the parcel] to the land bank, we would be able to then go ahead and give it” to the neighboring property owner, he said.

“We're acting as the middle person, which is one of the economic benefits of the land bank, that you can act as the middle person,” Book said. “That cleans up some of the tax issues and things along the way.”

• For an update on other properties on the land bank’s radar, Johansen said that there is a parcel on West Main Street in Mowrystown that Edison had identified as a potential site for Habitat for Humanity. Unfortunately, “we haven’t had any luck contacting the heirs” of the home, he said, with the property owner deceased.

Johansen said that he also had not been able to find the owner of an apparently “abandoned” property on Harriett Road in Hillsboro.

The Enchanted Hills Community Association properties are still in tax foreclosure, and no action has been taken yet on a 0.056-acre lot in Buford that has federal liens totaling close to $100,000 plus state liens.

For two parcels submitted by Greenfield — one on Lafayette Street and one on Dutch Street — there is interest from the family to donate the parcels, but they need to go through probate, Johansen told the board.

“We spent a couple hours going through all the files,” Book said. “I think Mackenzie had been trying to get as many donated as possible, and I think there was some willingness on people to donate. The problem was for them to be able to donate, we’d have to fix the probate problem in a lot of those situations, and some of those, even if there wasn't a probate problem, there were these pending liens, tax liens and other things that would have to get resolved.

“We’re going through that to see what's feasible. The donation is a great route, but sometimes it's it's going to take too much to be able to get it donated because of that probate process.”

• In what he called “old news,” Todd Book said Elliott Hotel project in Greenfield is completed.

At their April board meeting, the HCLRC granted a request from the Village of Greenfield for the land bank’s share of the Elliott Hotel demolition, totaling $41,323.50. At that time, the building had already been demolished.
As previously reported, after five months of correspondence from the Village of Greenfield, the land bank board agreed in January to pay $50,000 toward the demolition of the former Elliott Hotel building in Greenfield. The hotel building partially collapsed more than a year ago, in August 2021, and the hotel was among the projects receiving funding in the first round of the Brownfield Remediation Grant program last year. Book said in April that the village decided to “split” the cost, so the land bank paid less than the $50,000 originally appropriated.

“The cost sharing arrangement has been finalized,” Book said. “They've received their money, they deposited the check, so we’re in good shape there.”

• In other discussion, Richard Counter of Greenfield had asked to be put on the agenda to talk about blighted parcels on Taylor Street in Madison Township.

At the board’s most recent meeting, Counter said he said he sent “a packet” to Mustard, while he had also spoken to previous land bank administration in 2021 with similar concerns.

Since April, Counter said he has done additional “research” on the property and determined that the landowner “is deceased, and the taxes are back due,” and that the estate “hasn’t been probated.” There were also liens on the parcels at one time. Counter said township trustees and the county “have ignored it” for years.    

“The house that's on it sits about 12 feet away from the street, and you can’t see it,” he said. “The property is a dump — public dumping, constantly from house debris and rubber tires. The pond’s full of tires.”

Counter said he is “interested in it” and obtained a quote of $26,000 to “have it cleaned up.”

“I would like to see something done about it, whether I get it or not,” he said. “It has to happen. Somebody has to have authority somewhere to get this done.”

Book said that they could look into tax foreclosure or or “nuisance foreclosure” possibilities. Board member David Daniels added that it would be a good candidate for using state cleanup funds.

“The problem is for us to use those funds, we have to have access,” Book said.

Britton asked Counter to share his findings with Johansen.

“It sounds like the biggest hurdle we’ve got is just trying to get a hold of the property,” Britton said.

• The board reviewed, and approved, financial reports for April, May, June and July 2023.

Most of the transactions over those four months involved contractor payments and grant reimbursements for the two state grant projects, as well as other payments such as for rent, salary, legal fees and supplies. In May, the land bank also received $75,647.17 from their Delinquent Tax & Assessment Collection (DTAC) payment, Johansen said.

For their most recent financial report, Johansen reported an end balance of $238,063.21 for July 2023.

The board authorized a list of pending financial transactions, including invoices for the land bank office’s rent at the Scott House for six months; legal fees for May-August; office supply invoices; several invoices from TetraTech for work on the East Monroe Mill, from February, March, April, May and June; and invoices from TetraTech for the Rocky Fork Truck Stop from May and June.

Johansen also reported that Millhuff-Stang had completed the Land Bank’s “independent financial review for 2022,” which was filed with the State Auditor’s Office.

“There were no errors that they reported,” he said. “Everything looked good.”

• The board also approved a memorandum of understanding between Highland County Commissioners and the Land Bank Board of Directors for Johansen’s hiring as well as an agreement with the Highland County Historical Society for renting the Land Bank’s office space at the Scott House.