City pays to keep fence around St. Joseph Community Center site

LORAIN — The fence around the former St. Joseph hospital site is paid for the next six months, thanks to the city of Lorain. The Board of Control approved the $12,655 expense Tuesday, after Mayor Jack Bradley was notified the fence company had started to take down the barrier around the property, he said. After contacting National Construction Rentals he said the existing fence was scheduled to be removed due to nonpayment by property owner A7 Development Corporation. The Board of Control is able to approve purchases up to $50,0000. "Just add it to the list," Bradley said, speaking to the issues the city has had with the Massachusetts-based company. The demolition of the long-vacant community center has been at a standstill since March, when the city issued a stop-work order after Earth Exchange, the demolition company connected to A7 Development failed to pull the proper permits to continue the project. The agreement the developer had with the city was to pull permits for each building, except the parking garage which was to remain standing. The city's Demolition Board of Appeals unanimously added the community center to the demolition list. Inspector Greg Landry's report at the Oct. 21 meeting included information on the 24 parcels including the still-standing buildings, parking garage and heaping piles of rubble near West 21st Street and Reid Avenue. The parking garage had standing water on the ground floor of the seven-level deck and deep cracks in support columns, indicating additional water damage, Landry said. More than $527,000 in back taxes are owed on the site, as well as delinquent utilities that accumulated under the site's previous owner, South Shore Development Corp. South Shore sold the site to A7 Development in March 2020 for $150,000. Bradley said an executive session with City Council is planned for Monday evening to discuss pending litigation against the property owners. "We have a lot of things planned besides just a lawsuit. ... I've been in touch with the U.S. Attorney's Office and they're well aware of the situation," Bradley said. "I've also been in touch with the Ohio EPA, they're well aware of the situation and if they want to mess with the city of Lorain, then they're going to mess with the Ohio EPA and they're going to mess with the federal government." An attorney for A7 did not return requests for comment Thursday. The city is also looking at its demolition ordinance, hoping to increase the enforcement of procedures related to commercial demos. Even with St. Joseph's partially torn down, it's already sparked development in the area, Bradley said. Lorain County Community Action Agency will be moving into the former bank building owned by Jon Veard, and the former Roman Room restaurant is being demolished. "We have some interest in the lot kitty-corner from St. Joseph's Hospital, so just having that building down has caused interest in development in that area. So it's not a complete negative." Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.