Committee backs emergency acceptance of state grant to finish cleanup at 206 South Market Street

The Community and Economic Development Committee voted to recommend that city council authorize the director of public service and safety to accept state grant funding to complete remediation of the former gas station at 206 South Market Street.

Tim Davis, speaking for city staff, summarized the cleanup timeline and funding: "We did apply for this grant back in December 2022. We received $250,000 to start the cleanup process." He said the city applied again in 2024 for $350,000 "to conclude the cleanup of the site" and that the new award was received earlier this month. Davis added the project funds were included in the 2026 budget as a carryover from 2025 and that announcement timing had been delayed by a federal government shutdown.

The matter matters for redevelopment prospects at the site, the committee chair said, noting that a "notice of no further action" from regulators would signal the site was ready for reuse. Chair Lynn Snead asked whether such a notice would mean the site was ready for redevelopment; Davis confirmed it would indicate final cleanup.

Councilman Bobby Phillips (Fourth Ward) said the site has already undergone earlier remediation steps: "We actually put in monitoring wells to do the environmental assessment ... now we were going for the ... to finalize the cleanup." Phillips also referenced the prior removal of underground tanks.

A committee member moved to advance the recommendation with an emergency designation; Chair Snead announced the motion passed unanimously to move forward on an emergency basis. The committee did not record individual roll-call votes in the transcript.

Next steps: the committee's recommendation will be forwarded to city council for formal authorization of the director of public service and safety to execute grant-acceptance documents with the Ohio Department of Development. No additional conditions, amendments, or delays were recorded at committee.