Abandoned Youngstown school to face wrecking ball

  • 2017-01-19
The question of what is to become of Youngstown’s abandoned Harrison Elementary School has resurfaced, and this time, definitive plans are in motion.

For years Harrison Elementary has been empty until two months ago, the structure caught fire, which made demolition inevitable. The recent arrest of a trespasser at the school has brought the subject up again and with increased urgency.

A decision has been made and it looks like Boardman residents passing the nearby school off Route 62 will soon see an empty lot, the future of which is undecided. With a strong possibility of the property being put up for sale, a Boardman or Youngstown entrepreneur may soon be putting up Banners to advertise a coming business venture.

Following the November fire, it was decided that the building be taken down the rest of the way within a day. However, since the sole private estimate received was viewed as too high, the city agreed to perform the demolition. It recently presented an estimate of $93,000, most of which is due to the presence of asbestos in what remains of the structure.

Steve Stohla, the Interim Superintendent, on Friday, January 13 signed paperwork authorizing the building’s demolition. According to the school board the structure will come down before the end of January. If and when the property will be available for sale is unknown.
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