Portsmouth City Council will consider emergency legislation to accept and spend $400,208 in state brownfield grant money for work at the old IRS building on Chillicothe Street.
The ordinance is scheduled for a first reading at Monday’s council meeting.
The money comes from the Ohio Department of Development Brownfield Remediation Program and would be used for interior demolition and remediation at 802/804 Chillicothe Street.
In everyday language, this is cleanup money.
Brownfield funds are used for properties that may have environmental issues, contamination concerns, old building materials, or other conditions that make redevelopment more difficult or expensive.
The city is asking council to waive the normal three-reading rule and pass the ordinance as an emergency so the work can move ahead more quickly.
According to the legislation, the emergency approval is needed so interior demolition and remediation can begin without waiting through the full council reading process.
The ordinance would allow the city to accept the $400,208 into the Capital Improvement Fund and appropriate it into the city’s ODOD grants line item.
The building at 802/804 Chillicothe Street is commonly known as the old IRS building. It has long been one of the large downtown properties tied to Portsmouth’s redevelopment discussions.
Before an older building can be reused, sold, redeveloped, or safely renovated, cities often have to deal with what is inside first. That can mean removing damaged interiors, addressing hazardous materials, cleaning up contamination concerns, and preparing the space for future work.
That kind of cleanup is expensive, which is why brownfield grants matter. They can help cities move problem properties closer to productive use without putting the full cost on local taxpayers.
Council will be asked to approve the grant acceptance and appropriation as an emergency measure. If passed that way, the ordinance would take effect immediately after approval.