Source: http://www.sanduskyregister.com, February 17, 2016
By: Andy Ouriel
Area officials ordered a site analysis at a former sandwich shop, eating away at nearby property values and community morale for many years.
Together people representing Erie County and Castalia recently applied for state money to remove underground storage tanks at 604 S. Washington St., where Ohio 101 and Ohio 269 intersect.
The funding, made available just for 2016, exists for local communities to specifically remove canisters previously containing gasoline.

A state-hired consulting firm will review the site and document all major issues, including noting any possible or inevitable environmental threats.
The report aims to provide state officials with a glimpse into the situation.
Documentation is necessary to leverage upward of $600,000 in state money to clean the site and possibly demolish the structure.
In theory, once cleared, the land could transform into extra yard space for a neighbor or an area ideal for a new business.
“This has been an eyesore for the residents in the village for many years,” said Scott Schell, the Erie County land bank director who’s directly overseeing this initiative. “This is the best opportunity we have to potentially get this site cleaned up and hopefully put to a better use.”
No matter what pops up there, Schell said reactivating the land would increase area property values and generate additional tax money local governments — schools, park districts, police departments and the like — need for operations.
There’s no guarantee the property will receive state money and, even if so, when the award could happen. It’s unclear when work could start on removing the tanks.
The property, once owing $26,500 in taxes, went to a sheriff’s sale twice, however, no one placed a bid to buy the land.