ASHLAND -- Demolition of the former Hess and Clark building is expected to begin later this week, according to Mayor Matt Miller.
The Mayor said demolition would begin Friday, Jan. 15 in his comments at the most recent Ashland City Council meeting.
"Between Jan. 15 and 20 you should start to see some noticeable action there as they start dismantling that building," Miller said.
Asbestos removal at the 10 East 7th Street property was supposed to begin last week. It needed to be completed before demolition could begin, the mayor explained.
In November 2020, Ashland City Council approved selling the former Hess and Clark building to Abacus Industrial Development for $100 in exchange for the removal of the decaying structure. Miller called the property a "public safety hazard."
At that time, the mayor estimated that Abacus Industrial Development would demolish the structure within nine months and later replace it with an 85,000 square-foot data center.
The city will not transfer ownership of the property to the developer until the demolition and cleanup are complete. The company is expected to leave only the concrete slab.
The Ashland County Land Bank and Mayor Miller had been eyeing the Hess and Clark factory since at least August 2018. The city took ownership of the property from an out-of-town owner in late 2019.
