Dec. 7—ASHTABULA — The Ashtabula County Port Authority received $600,000 for the Kunkle Building on Wednesday.
Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development, announced $86.1 million in state aid to help clean up and redevelop 81 hazardous brownfield sites in 46 counties.
The Ashtabula project includes asbestos abatement and selective demolition of a downtown building, according to a news release.
City Manager Jim Timonere said it is part of the Carlisle-Allen project on Main Avenue.
“We are excited to see future funding for this project,” he said.
Renew Partners LLC, the group behind the building’s redevelopment, began working on the project with JCI Contractors in September 2023.
Shawn Neece, a member of Renew Partners, said they were waiting for this financing for the Kunkle Building, which is connected to the former Masonic Temple and the Carlisle-Allen buildings.
“This completes our brownfield remediation for the project,” he said. “We have already done quite a bit of renovation work on the rest of the building. We hope to complete all our renovation work in the first quarter of next year.”
Once the site is remediated, it will be redeveloped as part of a larger mixed-use project that will include multifamily apartments, commercial spaces and an event venue, the release said.
The Ohio Department of Development awarded the funding through the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program, which was established in 2021.
Wednesday’s announcement included approximately $82.1 million for 65 cleanup and remediation projects and $4 million for 16 assessment projects.
“We are excited about the Carlisle project,” Neece said. “We are deeply involved in the Ashtabula community and we think it will be great for Main Avenue.”
cball@starbeacon.com
