This vacant building on North Wooster Avenue is being torn down and converted into a public green space. (Tusco TV)

STRASBURG (Tusco TV) - A structure Strasburg officials call the downtown’s biggest eyesore is slowly disappearing from sight. 

Demolition started last Monday on the dilapidated building between the post office and bulk food store on North Wooster Avenue. Solicitor Richard Fox says he’s excited to see the building finally coming after years of trying to get the former owner to clean up the property.  

"It’s gonna mean that what we started 10 or 12 years ago is gonna be completed, a major blemish in the downtown area that had really deteriorated and become an eyesore will no longer be there," he says.

The project is being handled by Badger Construction of West Virginia. Fox says he’s not sure how long it’s going to take to bring the building down because the contractor is doing the work in stages to minimize disruptions and prevent damage to the neighboring businesses. 

"I don’t know that he ever gave us a total time," he says. "I think that the comment he gave, and he wasn’t necessarily trying to be cute, he said I can’t give it to you because I don’t know exactly what I’m going to get into when I get to the one wall of the post office. He said I’m gonna keep at it until it’s done."

Fox says once the demolition is complete, the property will be repurposed as a community greenspace. 

"We’re going to have a nice area, open up the downtown area. It’s gonna be a greenspace area," he says. "With a bulk food store there and post office and a new bank, it’s just gonna kinda clean up the downtown area, make it a lot nicer." 

The village was awarded a Clean Ohio that’s funding 75 percent of the $234,000 project.