Former Sandusky bar getting bulldozed

SANDUSKY — The bar permanently closed earlier this year, and a demolition contract aims to further erase its problematic presence forever. Come Monday, Sandusky city commissioners expect to support legislation so the Erie County Land Reutilization Corp., better known as the land bank, can raze Amirah's Turn, formerly known as the Dog House Bar, at West Jefferson and McDonough streets. "The land bank is excited to partner with the city to demo the Dog House Bar," said Erie County treasurer Caleb Stidham, who oversees land bank operations. "Our role will be to pay for the cost of demolition." Stidham then explained the land bank's purpose. "The land bank's mission is to improve our community through reducing blight and increasing property values," he said. "With this project meeting our mission, we are confident that the outcome will be a better quality of life for residents in that neighborhood." Following Monday's meeting, officials should know more details, such as a project cost and estimated timeline. Too much trouble Incidents requiring police intervention at or outside the bar, located smack-dab in a neighborhood, occurred numerously and at alarming rates. This included weapons offenses, disorderly conduct instances, assaults and shootings. Regarding the shootings, most notably: • In June 2020, two men were shot outside of the bar. • In April 2021, a report of "shots fired" occurred outside of the bar, where officers found casings outside on the ground. Additionally, state agencies cited the bar twice for failure to comply with COVID-19 protocols. Sandusky police Chief Jared Oliver noted, in its last operational year, officers went there about 150 times. "The business was nothing but a scourge on the neighborhood," Oliver said. "We are very pleased that it's been closed." Back in February, officials reached a settlement in Erie County Common Pleas Court to permanently shutter Amirah's Turn. Five months beforehand, in September, the bar originally closed on an emergency temporary restraining order after Sandusky's government filed a suit against it for repeated instances of alleged misconduct. The February agreement, authorized by bar owners Jeanie Crabb and Ambrian Lewis, stipulated they must sell the building to the city. In return, the city wouldn't pursue any nuisance-related charges or participate in prosecuting them for then-pending complaints. "From the city's perspective, we are happy we reached an agreement with the owners because it ensures the bar will remain shut down," city law director Brendan Heil said. "The nuisance will be abated, and the neighborhood will never have to deal with this in the future." Court documents show the building's former owners sold it to Sandusky for $95,000. From this amount: • Crabb and Lewis received $65,000. • Former owners William Butler and Letesia Jones obtained $30,000. A new vision For many years, nearly every resident living by this establishment wanted the business to shut down due to these aforementioned issues and others. Among a couple of locals who commented on Register platforms when the establishment was open: • Cathy Didion: It is a shame that the neighborhood has to put up with this. • Heather Ginnever: I live down the street: People yelling at 2 a.m. again is not cool. Sandusky ex officio mayor Dick Brady heard many of those same comments. It convinced him to serve as a leading voice in closing this bar for good and demolishing its physical presence. Ahead of Monday's meeting, he provided some background and reasoning to justify his stance. Brady also previewed what could become of this site: The ultimate resolution of this property is, in large part, due to the efforts of commissioner (Steve) Poggiali and the other committee members of the Erie County Land Bank. In the near future, they will fund the demolition of the former Amirah's Bar property, a building that became an immense nuisance to the entire neighborhood. Both John Orzech, our assistant city manager, and Brendan Heil, our law director, worked tirelessly on this issue within our court system. They knew how important this resolution was to residents. In September 2021, the Sandusky city commission promised residents that their neighborhood would be restored to a peaceful, safe and secure place to live for everyone. We have begun the process to make this a reality. After its demolition, we have several options for use of this property. • One option is green space. • One option is selling it as a buildable residential lot to a private individual. • Another is negotiating a sale to a nonprofit entity. Each one of these is a better use in that fulfills our promise to maintain the integrity and peace in the neighborhood. Ultimately, the commissioners will arrive at the best use for this site. Unfortunately, it is impossible to proactively prevent events like that with Amirah's Bar from happening entirely. Yet our city has a proven track record in mitigating situations that affect the quality of life for our residents. We've found ways to close nuisance bars in the past. We will continue to do so, if necessary in the future.