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Wedgewood Lanes can’t be spared

Building creates eyesore, safety issues

Austintown Trustee Jim Davis said the shuttered Wedgewood Lanes is an eyesore to the residents living nearby as well as the other businesses in the Wedgewood Plaza on Raccoon Road. Davis said there are endless possibilities for the property after it is demolished, but the process to take it down is a long one. The owner is $38,000 in arrears on its property taxes, according to Mahoning County Auditor records. Staff photo / Allie Vugrincic

AUSTINTOWN — Gone are the days when Wedgewood Lanes, 1741 S. Raccoon Road, was packed with cars and people spending the night bowling.

Now all that stands is a building falling apart while other businesses in Wedgewood Plaza are thriving.

“That building is becoming a detriment to that plaza,” township Trustee Jim Davis said. “It’s absolutely unacceptable.”

According to Davis, many issues exist with the building as it stands now. One of his biggest concerns is for the residents living around the vacant structure. It closed 18 months to two years ago.

“The residents who live in that area don’t deserve to walk out of their homes and look at that. It’s unfair and unacceptable for them to see something like that,” Davis said.

The Mahoning County Auditor’s website states the property is owned by Carrozzino Plaza LLC, and is delinquent on more than $38,000 in property taxes.

Also according to the auditor’s website, the building was purchased by Carrozzino Plaza LLC in 2010 for $1.2 million, but has a total property value of only $812,000.

Several unsuccessful attempts were made by The Vindicator to reach the ownership of Wedgewood Lanes, as well as its real estate agent, Platz Realty Group.

HAZARDS

The building presents hazards, township officials say.

Davis said he was made aware of water problems and issues with the roof and ceiling.

“I can only imagine the potential of burst pipes, water in the basement and the structural integrity of the building. There’s been no reinvestment in the property from the time of ownership,” Davis said.

Zoning director Darren Crivelli said it could be quite some time before the building comes down as it is structurally sound and would need to be condemned.

For that to happen, he said a lien would be put on the building for demolition costs. If the lien isn’t paid by the owner, the county prosecutor would be asked to put the property in lien foreclosure. After some time, the Mahoning County Land Bank would take ownership of the property and, in turn, could transfer the property to the township thus leading to the demolition, Crivelli explained.

At the moment, the cost of demolition can’t be calculated because there are still many unanswered questions, especially when it comes to asbestos abatement, Crivelli said.

“At this point we’re just dealing with the cosmetic issues. We’ve declared it a nuisance twice now,” Crivelli said. “In the grand scheme of things, a large portion of the issues are cosmetic.”

According to Davis, the utilities have been cut for more than a year.

“What it boils down to is that the building is unfit for its intended use,” he said.

SAFETY SERVICES

Among the list of issues with the building, Davis said, public safety is a serious concern. Should safety forces need to respond to an emergency, things could get complicated — as fire Chief Andy Frost calls the building a “do not enter” property

“We don’t know the condition of the building and, because the roof is so big, we are telling our guys not to go in,” Frost said. “If it were to be on fire, the roof could collapse.”

Davis also is worried about people breaking in, creating issues for police.

Chief Robert Gavalier said at the moment there aren’t necessarily any concerns. He said a couple of months ago, however, some kids got into the building and defaced the interior with graffiti.

His concern is the building sitting abandoned could lead to people trying to get in.

POSSIBILITIES

The eyesore likely will have an impact on businesses wanting to come to Plaza West, directly across Raccoon Road. The sight of the building could turn away potential businesses from setting up shop.

“It’s tough to entice businesses there because they don’t want to build next to a deplorable building,” Davis said.

Davis also said he doesn’t want to use taxpayer money for the demolition. Rather, he wants to see taxpayer money used for making residents’ lives better.

“Before using taxpayer money, the mortgage holder should be financially responsible for tearing it down,” he said.

Even if the mortgage holder takes responsibility and demolishes the building, it will be quite some time before any progress is made. Davis said he would like to see the demolition take place in the fall, but realistically would like to see it happen within a year.

As for the future of the property after the demolition, there are “endless opportunities” Davis said, possibly among them a community center or some type of sporting facility.

“I want something other local communities don’t have,” Davis said. “Something that will attract people to Austintown and bring more revenue into the Austintown economy. We’ve always worked with businesses that have wanted to come to this area. We would certainly like to have a conversation with anyone who wants to come to this area.”

nhawthorne@tribtoday.com

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