The Highland County Land Reutilization Corporation (land bank) discussed multiple new details about plans for a revamped Rocky Fork Truck Stop at its monthly meeting.

Matt Wagner, a certified professional at Tetra Tech, said that the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Grant Program (BDSRGP) is still doing work at the site. He said he’s talked with the primary owner and that they’ve been investing and will be making it “almost like a convenient grocery store” for the lake.

Wagner said the contact said they were working to make the store something “where you can drive your actual vehicles through instead of having to unhitch.” He said they want to make it a place where people can come through with their boat, get what they need and keep going. He also said the contact reported that they’re looking at an over $1 million investment.

Wagner said they’re meeting with partners there to talk about the plan’s layout and to make sure they don’t impact the wells the company needs.

Jason Johansen, the land bank coordinator, said they were still waiting on the final report for the site to draw down money for the December and January invoices. He said the injection of chemicals into the groundwater is still happening, saying that it takes time to fix.

In other BDSRGP news, Johansen said seven properties were approved for the leftover funding from last year’s round. He said at one of them, 8151 Fall Creek Rd. in Leesburg, the asbestos previously thought to be needing removal was found to not be required after retest. He said that would save them around $1,000 that could be drawn down as administrative funding or for other costs come up with the program.

He said that of the others on the leftover money list, 6747 and 6749 Heather Moor Tl. in Hillsboro, demolition started on Friday. He said after that, they would move on to the demolition on Thursday at 3479 Pleasant Rd. near Hillsboro.

The land bank board agreed to add three more properties to the next round of the BDSRGP, those being 12501 Wilson Rd. in Leesburg, 727 S. High St. in Hillsboro and 644 N. West St. in Hillsboro, as well as the deletion of two — 131 Huff St. in Leesburg and the Buford School cistern at 2471 S.R. 138.

Johansen said the Huff Street property needed to be deleted because it did not have a foundation, which was a requirement for the program. He said the tank (cistern) was deleted because a structure must be demolished to be a part of the program.

Johansen said that any properties added to the BDSRGP, including the three mentioned above, will be added to the replacement projects list.

For some of the properties previously discussed and already approved for the upcoming round of the BDSRGP, including 937 N. High St. in Hillsboro, 4506 Sharpsville Rd. in Hillsboro, 5700 Dawson Rd. in Lynchburg, 6950 Pence Rd. in Hillsboro and 8701 U.S. 62 N. in Hillsboro, would be “hot” demolitions, due to being unsafe to abate the asbestos. He said these would cost “a little bit more” because they’re too dangerous.

In other news, Johansen detailed updates on the Brownfield Grant Program. He said the three projects approved previously, the East Monroe Tank Farm, a former gas station on 351 E. Main St. in Hillsboro and a former machine shop at 204 E. Jefferson St. in Greenfield, all had their phase ones completed. He said that he and Wagner would be working to submit their applications, which are due April 1, 2024.

However, he also said that two of the previously discussed properties, Gross-Fiebel and Emerson Electric, had to be taken off the list.

Terry Britton, a member board, said that without those projects, the land bank would have extra money they’d leave on that table if they didn’t come up with another property or two to fit in the category.

Britton also put forward the possibility of putting the Rocky Fork Truck Stop location back into one of the grant programs if they need extra funding for the injections. Wagner said they could.

The land bank board also discussed updates on multiple other properties:

* For the Enchanted Hills Community Association and its 11 parcels, Johansen said those will all be auctioned off at a sheriff’s sale on April 11 and April 25 at 10 a.m., he believed. He said that after the sales, whatever doesn’t sell would be considered forfeited land.

* At 6747 and 6749 Heather Moor Tl. in Hillsboro, Johansen said an adjacent neighbor said they were interested in the properties. The land bank board discussed putting them up for bid, but decided to wait until next month’s meeting for its clean-up to finish.

* At 222 McClain Ave. in Greenfield, he said it is in the land bank’s name and now in the BDSRGP.

* With the three Taylor Street properties, Todd Book, the land bank’s legal counsel, said the land bank is working to find a way to get the properties into the program and cleaned up. He said they are working through the estate probate process and are “making some headway.”

The next meeting of the land bank is scheduled to be on Friday, April 19 at 9 a.m.

Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.