Through two applications for both assessment and cleanup, nearly 1.5 million dollars was leveraged from ODOD’s Brownfield program.

This site is approximately 200 acres and was developed over 100 years ago as part of a steel mill operation. On site operations included a blast furnace, cooling towers, wastewater treatment, oxygen fabrication, and oil/gas wells. All operations on-site were ultimately ceased by 2014. An adjacent coke plant had also potentially impacted contamination on the project site.

The operation of industrial processes on the property for such a long period of time contributed to a significant burden of contamination, and the grant funding received is allowing the site to be remediated and prepared for productive reuse that will greatly benefit the community.

The Warren Gasification property was historically used as the site of a coal gasification operation that provided lighting and heat to nearby residents. It was also used as an iron scrap yard following the closing of the gasification operation. The site has been vacant and blighted for a number of decades, and much of the contamination from its prior uses remained. Cleanup of the site is currently underway using over one million dollars leveraged from ODOD’s Brownfield program.

Over two million dollars was leveraged from ODOD’s Brownfield program for remediation at the former General Electric building in Niles. Cleanup activities included contaminated soil removal and replacement, groundwater use restrictions, and infrastructure improvements. This project will turn a large commercial property in a desirable location in Niles into a productive and developable parcel.

Nearly one million dollars was leveraged from the ODOD Brownfield program for the remediation of contaminated soil, ground water, and vapors at the former Peerless Winsmith building in Warren. Remediation of this site will protect the current users from harmful contamination in the air. It will also pave the way for continued redevelopment of a blighted property on the city’s west side.

Soil remediation at the former Clark’s Gas Station property on North Main Street in Hubbard is ongoing. Leftover contamination from the abandoned gas station was extensive, and funding was leveraged from the Ohio Department of Development’s abandoned gas station program. An additional $250,000 was recently awarded through the program for this project to complete the removal of soil contaminants.

Following cleanup, the site will be able to be marketed for productive commercial reuse as it is located on a major roadway in Hubbard.

The assessments of numerous other gas stations throughout the county are also underway through Ohio EPA’s target brownfield assessment program, and exciting steps forward are being taken to restore these long blighted properties to a usable condition.

The former Warren Community Development Building is another project that saw a vacant and blighted professional building abated of environmental hazards and demolished. Funding for this project was made possible through the Ohio Department of Development’s demolition program. This vacant building was directly adjacent to property owned by the Trumbull County Historical Society, and its demolition removes a visual nuisance as well as a barrier to potential future expansions.

The Wean Building, formerly located near downtown on North Park Avenue in Warren, was demolished in 2023. The building was historically used for government office space but had been vacant and underused for a number of years.

The asbestos and miscellaneous environmental hazards within the building were safely and completely remediated using Ohio Department of Development demolition grant funding. The remediation and demolition of this building removed a blighted hazard from the community and allowed the land to be returned to productive use. The site is now the new home of the Warren Farmer’s Market and will continue to be a beneficial community space for years to
come.