Revival of Sprowls building could be a boost for Claysville
Courtesy of Rick Newton
Claysville officials are hoping they can revive the Sprowls complex of buildings as part of an economic development/revitalization project.
Courtesy of Rick Newton
An artist’s rendering of what could be done with the Sprowls complex in Claysville
A cluster of old buildings in the heart of Claysville is an early centerpiece of an economic development/revitalization project along the Interstate 70-Route 40 corridor.
Officials have received $116,250 in tax credits from the state to go toward the acquisition and possible rehabilitation of the Sprowls Hardware complex at 234-238 Main St., which local entrepreneur Rick Newton calls “an iconic building in the center of the community.”
The tax credits are part of a $45 million funding package to advance community and economic development projects in communities across Pennsylvania, through the Community Development Block Grant-CARES Act. Funding was approved recently by the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
In a summary of the projects statewide, DCED said funds for the Sprowls project will go toward evaluating the structural enhancements required to put the complex back into service.
The Sprowls family, which operates Sprowls City Appliance in Washington, has owned the Claysville complex for decades. It is essentially three buildings with one facade, estimated to be about a century old. That, however, is now a blighted property that has been vacant since 2013. If remodeled, the buildings would provide about 30,000 square feet for a business or businesses to operate – provided that restoring them is doable.
“The idea is to stabilize it and put it into service, but there are significant issues,” said Newton, an East Finley Township resident and a leader of the McGuffey Area Revitalization Initiative. The initiative strives to revive businesses along the 17-mile east-west corridor between Washington and the West Virginia line, where Route 40 and I-70 largely run parallel.
Revitalizing Main Street (Route 40) is a major objective of the Claysville Area Preservation and Revitalization Initiative (CAPRI). While the borough’s retail strip is fairly vibrant, improvements are needed. This is a key location, the only business district located within the expansive McGuffey School District.
Sprowls is one of eight projects proposed for phase I of the regional objective – a list that once topped 30. And, according to Newton, CAPRI president Reita Melvin and local official Dennis Dutton, it is ahead of schedule. “Sprowls wasn’t supposed to start until 2023,” Newton said.
CAPRI hustled to get to this point this quickly. Working with the National Road Heritage Corridor, the Claysville Area organization had to get initial funding for the study and received $20,000 commitments each from WesBanco and First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Greene County. CAPRI, a 501 C-3 nonprofit, then had to show it agreed to accept acquisition and ownership of the property (it does not yet officially own it); get two commercial appraisals; and write the DCED grant application.
Melvin, Newton and Dutton praised Sarah Collier, executive director of the NRHC, for reaching out to the banks to help CAPRI complete the processing requirements – and for submitting the grant just ahead of the deadline. “Sarah is very supportive of what we’re doing,” Newton said.
“We had to get all of this done behind the scenes,” Dutton said. “It was a team effort.”
“It’s a strong team,” Melvin added. “Everyone does their part.”
Newton, Dutton and Melvin praised local officials and community members for providing staunch support of the revitalization plans, which are about two years in the making. Newton said “borough council is 100% behind this. Officials here absolutely love what’s planned.”
Numerous suggestions have been made, but nothing can happen at the Sprowls site until its condition is determined. If it’s thumbs-up for renovation, Dutton said, “there is no shortage of ideas.”
They include: a restaurant, a regional history center, an antiques mall, a recreation area for young adults, and a business incubator.
“Someone said ax throwing,” Newton said. “We have many ideas, but no commitments because we first have to get our arms around the scope of the renovations.”