DEAR EDITOR:
Last month I sought authorization from City Council to apply for a $2.5 million cleanup grant from the state of Ohio. The purpose is for asbestos removal and eventual demolition of a major public safety hazard and eyesore on the city’s northwest side Riverside Square often referred to as former St. Joseph Riverside Hospital.
This letter is to thank those involved in getting us to finally being able to address this significant challenge and to provide historical context on how we got here.
This property, on 13 acres in a residential neighborhood, originally was developed in 1934 with construction of the first building. Major additions from 1942 through 1994 grew to the present size of over 271,000 square feet of floor space, plus 3,000 square feet of utility space. In 1995, Humility of Mary (HM Health Services) began moving operations to Warren General Hospital, now called St. Joseph Warren Hospital, at its present location.
rfox@tribtoday.com
Staff photo / R. Michael Semple
Warren Councilman Larry Larson, D-1st Ward, stands outside the former St. Joseph Riverside Hospital site on Tod Avenue NW on Thursday. The city is expecting a $2.5 million grant for asbestos abatement at the abandoned hospital, which will make it possible for it to be torn down, officials announced at an earlier news conference at city hall.
WARREN It’s been three decades coming, but Warren Mayor Doug Franklin says a northwest neighborhood blighted with the dangerous, decrepit “eyesore” of the former St. Joseph Riverside Hospital may see relief soon.
Franklin said he is confident a $2.5 million grant application for asbestos abatement at the hospital will be awarded next month. Franklin and several city officials and council members gathered Thursday afternoon on the steps of Warren City Hall, where council members signed a request-for-legislation document expected to be voted on Wednesday, authorizing the administration