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Barberton mayor asks governor to intervene in sale of nine-acre site
By Marilyn Miller
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Sep 05, 2008
Barberton Mayor Bob Genet is making a last-ditch effort to acquire the former Ohio National Guard armory on Norton Avenue.
The facility and its nine acres will be put on the auction block on Sept. 24.
The National Guard, which vacated the building in 2003, has been asking $750,000 for the property, an amount out of reach for the city of Barberton.
Genet has asked Gov. Ted Strickland to intervene. The mayor doesn't feel the asking price is fair and thinks the National Guard should be willing to negotiate.
''In 1949, the city of Barberton helped the state by donating the land to them,'' Genet said. ''I want them to help us out the same way we helped them. We never received any property tax or income-tax revenue from the National Guard facility after all those years in the city.
''Too bad there wasn't a reversionary clause in the original deal.''
National Guard spokesman Mark Wayda said they are bound by state legislation to follow the law, which dictates how the building will be sold.
''We have to get an appraisal, then offer it to the city for that price,'' Wayda said. ''We don't have the authority to give it to the city, even if we wanted to.''
The National Guard had given the city a March deadline to purchase the land and also offered to sell the site to the county. Summit County wasn't interested in the land and declined the offer.
The site is next to a park and the city garage and one block from where Barberton's new $34 million middle school will be built.
''The nine acres of land is vital to the city,'' Genet said. ''There is so much potential for the area, with endless possibilities for that land, including a post-secondary education facility or a business park.''
Genet said he envisions creation of an education corridor with a branch campus for Stark State College or the University of Akron that would serve residents from Wadsworth to Green.
The other possibility — the business park — would attract white-collar jobs to the area.
''I understand the argument of the National Guard to sell some armories to help fix up others,'' Genet said. ''But communities where the properties are located should help out with those improvements, just like we helped out this armory by donating the land.''
Wayda said the National Guard has 53 active armories in the state and a long-term goal of reducing that number to 38 by 2025.
Genet said he is doing all he can to get help from legislators.
''I have a lot of support from the community, local and state officials,'' he said, ''but so far no one has been able to step in to make anything happen in our favor.''
Wayda said he has had many inquiries from concerned state officials, but they back off after learning about the law that must be followed in the selling process.
He suggested that the city show up for the auction because sometimes a facility sells for less than the market value.
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.
Barberton Mayor Bob Genet is making a last-ditch effort to acquire the former Ohio National Guard armory on Norton Avenue.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Cuyahoga Falls, Oh
Posted 05:14 PM, 09/05/2008
The City of Barberton should claim the land through the eminent domain process!?!?! They could use the sandbaggers used by the U. of A. for their appraisals.
Posted 12:26 AM, 09/08/2008
Why do they need the land..building their own prison?
