Investor opposes demolition of Cuyahoga Falls building

The Summit County Environmental Services building in Cuyahoga Falls has been vacant for nine years. The county plans to demolish the 1957 structure after receiving a grant from the Ohio Department of Development. The grant covers most of the demolition costs, but the county must contribute 25%. They aim to complete the demolition before summer and market the land. Recently, the county council approved moving forward with demolition. A pre-bid meeting was held for contractors on March 12. County Executive Ilene Shapiro's chief of staff, Brian Nelsen, said they must use the grant funds by the end of May. Previous attempts to sell the building to investors failed due to high renovation costs. Paul Zuravel, a potential investor, opposes the demolition. He claims his offer of $350,000 to buy the building is still valid. This is much lower than the original asking price of $845,000. Zuravel believes that keeping the building would save taxpayer money. He projected that demolishing the building would cost around $2 million, factoring in asbestos removal and additional local funds. During a recent meeting, Zuravel argued that the county should reconsider his offer. He believes the building can be repurposed for retail and residential use. He has been actively challenging the demolition decision and plans to petition against it. He feels the county should prioritize saving the building for the community's benefit. As the situation develops, the county will continue to move forward with demolition plans unless Zuravel's efforts succeed.