SitemapThe sound of glass breaking and lumber snapping filled the
air on Hudson Avenue Monday as one after another abandoned house was razed.
But
instead of city-paid contractors leveling the decrepit structures, Ohio
National Guardsmen oversaw the demolition. The 1192nd Engineer Co. of the Ohio
National Guard is providing the primary support for a two-week demolition
campaign on the South Side. Their work is supporting the South Side Blight
Removal and Greening effort. “This falls under the umbrella of what we call the
Innovative Readiness Training Program,” said Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., Ohio
assistant adjutant general. “We leverage opportunities like this to add value
to our communities, and it enhances our readiness training for both our federal
and state missions.”
The program is part of one of the lesser-known aspects of
the mission of the National Guard, Harris said, which is to add value to
communities. “It motivates our soldiers because it creates an opportunity to
provide a tangible benefit to the community, the assistant adjutant general
said. “When our soldiers walk away form this, they know that they’ve done something
good for a community.” Harris, city officials and National Guardsmen spoke to
reporters at a press event yesterday at the former Sheridan Elementary School,
where the troops were assigned for the day. The 1192nd hopes to raze 12 to 14
houses and their lots fully graded by the time the unit leaves July 22, said platoon
leader Lt. Josh Walker. “This is a win-win for everyone,” he said. “The city
gets cleaned up, and [the soldiers] get to accomplish their mission while we
get to train.” The troops are stationed at Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training
Center. They travel to Youngstown and back each day. To read the full story from the Business Journal, click here.