WAPAKONETA, Ohio (WLIO) — The former Auglaize Acres building will soon be demolished to make way for a possible new senior living center.
Within the next few weeks, residents can expect demolition to begin on the 100-year-old structure. The building has been closed since April 2024. Auglaize County received more than $1 million in Brownfield grant funding from the state of Ohio to complete asbestos remediation and demolish the building. The county is contributing an additional $250,000 to finish the project.
“Abatement of the asbestos is all done in the inside. So that was kind of step one, and step two is going to be the one that's more visible for the community, the actual demolition. Right now, we have a current agreement in place with Vancrest, and they have an option to purchase the real property after the demolition. If they exercise that option, which we believe fully that they intend to do, they're just waiting for the property to come down, because they will then exercise the option and redevelop it for another senior living center,” says Erica Preston, Auglaize County Administrator.
The Auglaize Acres property is the county’s fourth Brownfield Grant remediation project. Work is currently underway on two of those other sites. In addition to Brownfield funding, Auglaize County has demolished more than two dozen other buildings through state demolition grants.
