In November 2016, the Perry County Land Bank was awarded $525,000 from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) to acquire and demolish abandoned, blighted properties and to return their parcels to productive, taxpaying use. Soon after, the Lank Bank partnered with the Perry County Health Department to create the Construction and Demolition Debris (C&DD) Community Improvement Project. C&DD funding comes from the local landfills for collection of construction and demolition debris waste. To date, the Perry County Board of Health has allocated $200,000 of C&DD funding for ongoing demolitions throughout Perry County to remove blighted housing, making county neighborhoods healthier, safer, and stabilizing property values.

Once a property is acquired by the Perry County Land Bank either from the county forfeiture list or by donation and is identified for demolition, the Land Bank will order an asbestos survey from a qualified asbestos consultant. If the survey results indicate abatement is necessary, the Land Bank will contract with an asbestos contractor to comply with current EPA requirements. The Land Bank will prepare a detailed bid with specifications for demolition and solicit bids from qualified contractors. Properties are inspected to ensure that the contractor has fulfilled all contract requirements prior to release of the final payment.

Once a dwelling has been demolished and the lot reclaimed, the property is placed for sale. Adjacent neighbors are given first consideration, and then other neighbors in the area would be considered. The idea is that the properties will be remediated back to a state that can be used for residential, or even commercial use.