Greenfield Revitalization Project still focused on growing Greenfield
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This 1872 brick building is for sale on the Greenfield Square. The Greenfield Revitalization Project has spent two years making improvements to the building and now it is up for sale to a private investor to complete. Proceeds from the sale of the building will be used for the demolition of the green building on the opposite end of the square next to the library. (Carmen Ensinger/River County News)
By Carmen Ensinger
The Greenfield Revitalization Project (GRP) hasn’t been in the news much lately, but that doesn’t mean they have given up on their mission to revitalize the downtown area of Greenfield.
The GRP was formed in 2021 with the purpose of bring in businesses and amenities to the Greenfield Square as well as cleaning up run down and derelict houses and buildings.
At the time, GRP President and founder Lauren Sprung said she and the other founding members knew this wasn’t something that was going to be accomplished overnight.
Together, the small handful of mostly working moms worked diligently trying to find and secure grant funding to help restore some of the derelict buildings left standing on the Greenfield Square.
Not long after they were formed, in 2021, the green building next to the public library was donated to the GRP, who had now become a not-for-profit.
Back in 2021, when the building was first donated, since it was located on a corner lot, there were several ideas floating around about what could be done with the building if, perhaps, some grand funding could be secured. Maybe a coffee shop could go in there. Since it was located on an alley, it would be perfect for a drive-up window.
However, grant funding is terribly hard to secure. The small group did hold several fundraisers that raised some major bucks. This money was used to purchase the building on the opposite end of the square.
After it was purchased, work began to stabilize this building. It has taken several years and over $100,000 to make the building stable and now the GRP is to the point where they are looking for a private investor to buy the building.
Why? Because while all of the work was being done on this building, the original green building that was donated continued to decline and now is to the point where it needs to come down and the demolition is going to cost a lot of money.
“One of the greatest investments we can make in our community is ensuring that our public spaces are safe, accessible and positioned to serve future generations,” Sprung said. “With that goal in mind, the GRP is pursuing the demolition of the vacant green building, with plans to donate the cleared lot to the library for future community use.”
According to Sprung, demolition and site preparation are expected to cost approximately $50,000.
“Unlike our other targeted projects, there is no financial return on this investment,” she said. “The lot itself has little market value and there is no development opportunity that would offset the cost. Simply put, this is a project we believe needs to happen because it is the right thing to do for the safety and future of our community.”
Basically, the GRP is looking to sell the building on the opposite corner to a private investor and use the proceeds from that sale to go towards the demolition of the green building next to the library.
“We don’t plan on posting the building for sale through any real estate agent or anything,” she said. “Instead, we are taking bids from interested parties through email. Anyone can make an offer for us to consider as we don’t have a specific price tag on it so it is kind of open at this point.”
Anyone interested in conducting a site visit to the building can contact them via their Facebook page as well and a member of the GRP will be happy to take them through the building prior to them submitting a bid on the building.
A little bit about the building in question.
The historic building was built in 1872 and is one of the cornerstone structures on the downtown square. Over the past two years, the GRP team and volunteers have invested over $100,000 to stabilize, secure and begin meaningful restoration of the building.
A few of the completed improvements from 2023 to 2025 include:
Structure fully secured and boarded.
New roof installed.
Critical masonry repair and structural rehabilitation completed.
Flowable fill flooring installed.
Full interior demolition.
