Tear it down!

I made some inquiry with a contact at The Repository. They are interested in revisiting this issue and doing some investigation. They stated that there is interest in renovation of the building and the property but like many things with city planning and government it is very slow going. Perhaps some calls to city zoning and housing may inspire some movement?

They had plans to make this into an assisted living complex. They were waiting on government funds, they have been denied the funds the last two years. This school has been vacant for over a decade now. It's well past time they do something with it.

I opened a complaint about this property last year. No one from any city office ever commented.

We have to put complaints in every week, stay vigilant and keep record of doing so. They can only ignore it for so long...the city has obligations to it's residents...

There is a schoolbus stop on almost every corner with random strangers walking down the street. Sadly this may be an invite for a tragedy for a child involving someone with mental illness. As a community we need to speak up and be vocal to any shenanigans we may see. We cannot be quiet. Why should buildings like the Hercules lofts and Onesto be given green lights for renovations and we are ignored. Politics!! Perhaps some Change in administration needs to happen? Just sayin!!

Needs to be dealt with insted of just taking time if it cont to be a problem we should keep bugging them it need to be domolished i heard so many teens and dare deveils go there could as well be a hide out for worst crimanls needs to be checked by canton city swat or something. Canton pd you might even find your most wanted in these places canton city police department needs to be involed as well. I had heard of so many times it was being fixed up for 5 years now. Dose no one have the guts to get this thing dealt with? So much bull and i am tired of it canton city. You want people to come back to be a great city once again start doing tbings to better your city. Or else you will end up with no one in the city at all canton ohio will be a ghost town if nothing is done to change. PERIOD i see it happing no amout of payment will get people to stay once it happens will become a he double l hole if nothing is done to improve.

GOVERNMENT FUND =TAX PAYER MONEY

The city is only interested in the "core".When HOF week comes around, would it not be something to see the face of the mayor when people have signs and pictures telling and showing the blight? If all I had in my basket was the HOF, I too would ignore the rest of the city. That is Canton. All the eggs in ONE basket. Back in the day they said this city would be a ghost town if Timken left. Wake up, it's already a ghost town in some areas, only because the city does nothing and Timken is still here. Time to put faces with names of not only city leaders, but department heads who are entrusted with taxpayer money. Why not more green areas for kids instead of one green area downtown. Start caring about all the residents and all areas of the city. Imagine the tax revenue from blighted areas that are fixed up, improved, and safer instead of being left to rot away. Maybe that's the overall plan. Don't force them out or help them out, let the area waste away and then after everyone has left, open the doors for the developers. Where are the leaders of this city?

You have to have a thriving downtown if you want the city as a whole to prosper. For too long Belden Village has been built up and people moved to where things are thriving. I love seeing an active and vibrant downtown in any city. I love seeing the investment Canton is making in the downtown. 12th strew NW is becoming a “corridor” between downtown and HOF. If the hard work continues, betterment will happen. It will happen but it takes time. This revitalization has been in the works for at least 15 years now. Nothing like this happens overnight. As to Old Lehman, we have to stay vigilant. Keep contacting the city and applying pressure. According to my source at the newspaper there are people who want to see this property improved and are working to make it happen.

Even if your source says "there are people who want this property to be improve", there needs to be a change now. It's disgraceful that this property has been able fall into this sort of disrepair and neglect. It wouldn't stand in other neighborhoods; we deserve the same community standards.

I agree. I too hate seeing this property neglected. I want it to be improved as well. We need to all be invested in this. We can do our part as a community by continuing to apply pressure as best we can. Write into the paper, call the city, contact the local councilman Greg Hawk email: Gregory.hawk@cantonohio.gov / council office: 330-489-3223

15 years and the rest of the city gets nothing. NOTHING. Where are the playgrounds for the kids? Oh that's right, the city can't even take care of the vacant houses and trash filled empty lots. They would rather build ball fields up by the HOF that are not within walking distance for the kids of the inner city.
Invest in downtown all you want, but if you don't invest in the kids you are only doing half. What is needed are more YMCA's like Mr. Snow's. Where are the Rec centers for kids? Start with the Lehman building.

City of Canton IT Department_1 assigned this issue to City of Canton Building Department

Due to the heavy volume of submissions at this time, your case will be followed up on in the order it was received. 5-3-2019 printout 50

Ironic this is where mayor Bernabi graduated..

Translation: whenever we get around to it. To Nw. That is so funny but sad also.

we need to keep on pushing to make sure it is done and not left to sit again. canton residents keep at it keep bugging them they will have to do something to hear us shut up but we will not till everything is fixed. now we need to do this in order to better our city.

So literally 4 minutes ago a Canton police van (paddy wagon) parked in the school lot and was using a flashlight to search for someone. I tell ya I really feel safe around this school 🙄🙄(heavy sarcasm noted)

The old Lehman High School has a lot of history. I remember as a kid meeting there for football practice and what caught my attention was the football field/track with concrete steps right there at the school.Sadly this city does not care and does not realize what hidden gems or diamonds in the rough exist. Maybe Coon RestorationCaulking can get involved. They have done impressive work with other projects within the city. Keep up the pressure.

A page has been created on Facebook to create an online presence for this ongoing issue .

The Real Hall of Fame Corridor

https://m.facebook.com/The-Real-Hall-of-Fame-Corridor-Canton-OH-1209051472608254/?notif_t=page_fan&notif_id=1557845751530078&ref=m_notif

May 13 2019 " We need to take pride in our city " Mayor Bernabei. Statement about the downtown "shrine" to the NFL gods. $12.3 million Centennial Plaza. And yet the NFL snubs you for the draft.
Too funny.

I spoke directly to Mayor Bernabei this morning. He became fairly upset when he couldn't sell me on the dream of this becoming something fabulous in the distant future. He commented that residents would be not pleased if this building was torn down; said we wouldn't be happy with an empty lot.

Oh really??? lol

I think the mayor is so far out of connect with the residents of this neighborhood, and his comment right there shows it! I would rather have an empty lot across the street from me than this piece of garbage school. This building is nothing short of an accident waiting to happen. It caught fire last year, what is the city waiting on? For some little girl to be dragged in there and God knows what done to her?! For the love of everything holy, do something about this school!

He also commented proudly that the city spent almost $12,000.00 on cutting down the trees on the property and mowing the grass. I told him the trees being removed only made the blighted building with its graffiti and broken out windows more prominent. He's either delusional or trying to sell a story in which no resident is going to buy.

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They don't like when I tell the truth they keep blocking me😂🤣😂

Big deal mayor! I spent almost five grand out of my own money to cut down trees on Harper place that belong to the city! The drug activity on Harper place is outrageous! Had Greg Hawk to my home, said the city would not cut down the trees, had him out again begging for a street lamp, was told the city had no funds for it. Called vice about the cars parking in the alley way selling drugs, same response as the city...a big fat nothing. Why is our neighborhood being ignored?! You see us complaining, act on it!

And that is all it is for Bernabei. A DREAM. If he really cared, being an alumnus, as someone else commented, then why only a dream? LOL.

I wish these dreams were the beginning of a reality. Perhaps just some lighting fixtures, maybe a street sweep to clean the debris. Idk just take ownership of a building that could be appealing to the eye while it sits.

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To anyone reading this, please feel free to post your comments or photos regarding these issues on the real Hall of Fame Corridor Facebook page posted above. If a large enough presence get out of there on the Internet, I don't think they're going to be able to ignore the problem as easily .

Just curious as to whatever happened to the, I believe it was called...North Lehman Neighborhood Alliance?

This is Mayor Tom Bernabei responding to the above comments.

We in the city administration and city council are very concerned about the former Lehman High School/Middle School property and its blighting effect on the neighborhood. We are very concerned about its future use.

We have very limited choices with regard to its future use: The best choice from our perspective is redevelopment, which takes into account what we believe is the most desirable outcome for the neighborhood. We have an existing contract with a company that has been very successful in redeveloping old school buildings (the name of the company is "a. m. Rodriguez and Associates)."

We had a public meeting for the neighbors to meet a. m. Rodriguez and discuss their proposal 18 months ago. They have acted diligently in their efforts to obtain tax credits (which are absolutely necessary to make this kind of project work) and continue to do so. We would like to explain and discuss this project and its status with all of you in detail in another future neighborhood meeting which is being scheduled.

Our only other alternative appears to be demolition, which will be costly and very importantly, leave a gaping one block hole in the neighborhood with little probability of any future redevelopment because in part, the difficult hilly terrain of the Lehman block.

While we are working through the tax credit process with a.m. Rodriguez, we have:
1. Cut trees and brush from the property (which was done last Fall) to make the property more presentable and safe;
2. Scheduled regular mowing and litter pickups; and
3. Directed regular police patrols to meet neighbors' concerns about safety.
We are in the process of scheduling a neighborhood meeting to discuss the property in detail and answer your questions. We are working on a date and location convenient to the neighbors which will be scheduled sometime in June. It will be announced by social media and regular mail to all neighbors living within the Lehman area (bounded by 12th St NW, Fulton Road NW, 18th St NW and Cleveland Ave NW – over 1000 properties.)

I wish to emphasize that City government and I personally DO CARE about this property being a blight or unsafe for the neighborhood. This matter is unrelated to Downtown development and/or HOF development issues. My frustration from a recent caller (after a 10 – 15 minute conversation) was the repeated statement that "We don't care!"

And contrary to any of your thoughts, we actually appreciate when neighbors DO CARE; we appreciate when they do get involved. One of this city's biggest challenges is the apathy of a very large portion of our residents! So thank you!

See you in June!

Demolish, mayor. Contrary to what you're trying to sell, most residents would be pleased with a grassy lot, rather than this code violating, dangerous, city owned derelict property.

Agree with you tired of your mess. 15 years is way more than enough time for something to have been done with that school. It's time now for the city to test that eyesore down!!!

Tear**

Just like the stables on 13th. A much more visible eyesore.

Oh, and mayor... Mr. Rodriguez says he's no long affiliated with this project.

But either way, this property would not be tolerated, standing in this condition, in for example Market Heights or Avondale... so why should it remain here??

Oh Oh. Somebody is in deep doo doo, and it's not the residents of the area.

We should go to the city meetings as well and voice our complaints if the city dose not want to have the head honcho received a letter from us then he or she needs to quit twiddling their thumbs and get off the behinds and start acting like grown mature adult this city will not tolerate the lack of communication between anyone there has to be a better city to bring back the jobs and people it is not going to become another ghost town like Detroit lite a fire in the hearts of others to change canton for the better. If not we need a new honest respectful intelligent person to lead the city and do this thing the right way that is why half the taxes are not being used for right the person responsible should be living here not living the high life away from canton and see what is going on a hear from the people what is going on and get the change under way because we are the home of the hall of fame we need to start respecting ourselves and our city and citizens we need to have more safety so no one is afraid to go outside after dark but they are fine going places we need to get rid of all the trash upon our streets and homes and we need more police patrol we need more accountable people to in force the laws. What ever happened to the people's rights to get there Congressman or mayor to start doing the things of people who pay taxes to the city and who vote upon the city's elections we as well need to start researching what we are actually voting for. If this all can be done I see canton OH in a more peaceful richer positive position. Like it was meant to be Please People who make our laws and in force our laws get these things under control once again listen to your citizens our you would have a job if they did not appointed you to it. Please do something about this school it has been sitting vacant for 3 or four years now when will you do something about it. Please do not let it become a great burden upon you. The time to act is now you can make your city happy and great again. Please do that not for us but for your children and the future of the city of canton ohio let this positive changes be made to be wide spread. Let it spread to all the state's please find yourself and make the right decision. You owe it to yourself to.

Here is information re: City Council meetings and how to sign up for Public Speaks. https://cantonohio.gov/council/?pg=meeting

You might also want to contact your Council person and go to your neighborhood group to organize.

The City of Canton today mailed 887 postcards to residents living between the areas of Fulton Dr. N.W., Cleveland Ave. N.W., 12th and 18th Streets N.W. announcing the details of a Community Information meeting for Tuesday, June 18, 2019 at 6:00 PM in the Johnson Center Dining Hall located on the campus of Malone University, 2600 Cleveland Ave. N.W., Canton, OH 44709. The topic of this meeting is the former John H. Lehman High School located at 1120 – 15th St. N.W.

City representatives and Ward Councilmember, John Mariol, will be there to discuss the future of the building, maintenance and safety, and other neighborhood concerns.

Parking is available on the east side (rear) of the building. If you need a handicap accessible entrance, please park on the north side (Post Office side) of the building.

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