City, health department works together to improve housing

SANDUSKY — The recent demolition by Sandusky city officials of three houses, paid for by Erie County Health Department funds, shows how the two entities work well together to improve local housing stock, a local official says. "It's mutually beneficial," said Bob England, who runs the health department's program for lead hazard control and healthy homes. The city hired Ed Burdue and Company, a Sandusky demolition company, to carry out recent demolitions at three residential locations: 1817 Pierce St., 1922 Clay St. and 402 Hendry St. The structure at Clay Street was a garage; houses were torn down at the other two locations. The Erie County Health Department paid the city $42,530 to cover the cost of the demolitions. The health department receives two grants to remove lead, a serious health hazard, from homes in Erie County. These demolitions were funded through a $600,000 grant the health department received from the Ohio Lead Safe Home Fund. The health department also has a larger lead abatement grant from the federal government, but the rules for the state grant give the health department the flexibility to carry out demolitions, not just repairs, England said. Most of the time, the money pays for renovations that improve a building, and in the city of Sandusky alone, the health department has worked with city officials to remove lead from 20 to 25 buildings, England said. But in some cases, fixing the building is too costly to be worth it, and the best way to remove the health threat to children and residents from old lead-infested paint is simply to get rid of the building, England said. The health department has a good relationship with the city's housing and community development block grant officials, and the cooperation allows both entities to get a better return on their funding, England said. Referrals on housing issues commonly go back and forth between the two bodies, he said. England said the federal grant is the larger of the two the health department receives for lead abatement. The Department of Housing and Urban Development grant of $3.8 million, given for three and a half years, will expire in early 2024. Before the end of this year, the health department will turn in an application to renew the grant. Federal officials have been giving the health department good reviews for its work, and England is optimistic another grant will be awarded. "We've been meeting our milestones," he said. The state's two-year $600,000 grant ended Friday when the previous fiscal year ended, but England is similarly optimistic that more state funding may be on the way. "We're very hopeful based on our past performance we are going to continue to receive funding from the Ohio Lead Safe Home Fund," England said.