Buildings bulldozed at former American Crayon site

SANDUSKY — After area officials green-lit demolition work four months ago, construction continues at a feverish pace within the former American Crayon property.Project supervisors estimate they're roughly 25 percent complete with all razing-related tasks at the 6-acre site off Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) in Sandusky.Two of the largest buildings no longer stand at the former American Crayon property on the side located closest to Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) in Sandusky. The entire 6-acre site should be cleared by springtime.Most notably, in recent days, the dilapidated land's two largest buildings have come crashing down, creating a sizable gap of space. Standing at North Depot Street above its underpass and looking southeast, people can see Sandusky High School in the far-off distance, a sight blocked by these aforementioned buildings for decades."We are ahead of schedule and, ultimately, we still think it's going to take until the spring for everything to be down," city chief development officer Matt Lasko said. "We expect all the buildings to be down probably by the end of November, and then (crews will) start working on pulling up the concrete in the winter."Two of the largest buildings no longer stand at the former American Crayon property on the side located closest to Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) in Sandusky. The entire 6-acre site should be cleared by springtime.The city-owned property's future remains unknown. It is, however, one of three possible sites for a new justice center, housing both city police and municipal court operations."We will probably start having internal discussions and also be talking to people in the realtor community and appraisal community about how to best repurpose this site," Lasko said. "We will have those discussions over the winter. In the spring, we will be doing some final grading and seeding of the site to bring it back to 6 acres of green space for the community."The frenzied work rate represents a stark and pleasant contrast to numerous delays setting back demolition work for years."There is no property that is the epitome of the blight issue in Sandusky and Erie County more than the American Crayon site," Lasko said. "The property getting demolished now is a testament to the commission's aggressive approach to blight elimination," Lasko said.A construction vehicle prepares to begin demolishing one of the buildings still standing at the former American Crayon property located off Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) in Sandusky. All demolition-related activities should end by springtime.Among the elected officials voting for the property's demise, as is, back in June includes commissioner Nikki Lloyd."First and foremost, the safety of the surrounding community and schools is of huge importance," Lloyd said. "Second, clearing any blight in the city makes us more attractive to future residents and, when it pertains to commercial land, can make us more attractive to potential new businesses. We don't have a large amount of commercial land in the city. We need to be cognizant if making it available to new and existing business to keep jobs in Sandusky." Since starting actual construction work in August, workers are "ahead of schedule" in clearing the former American Crayon property by springtime. "Ultimately, we still think it's going to take until the spring for everything to be down," city chief development officer Matt Lasko said.Making sense of the dollars and centsDemolishing the former American Crayon site should total about $569,000, with all project expenses coming from a city ambulance billing account. The account, which receives money from insurance carriers after paramedics transport someone in an ambulance, can pay for cleaning up blighted sites.Through a real estate sale, the city can recoup funds going toward American Crayon's demolition.Money from the everyday operating budget, directly backed by local taxpayers, won't cover a cent of this project's cost.A construction vehicle prepares to begin demolishing one of the buildings still standing at the former American Crayon property located off Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) in Sandusky. All demolition-related activities should end by springtime.Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.