SHARON, Pa. (WKBN) — The City of Sharon announced that it has been awarded a $345,000 grant that will go toward the demolition of the former Huntington Bank building. The funds will also contribute to continued riverfront redevelopment efforts.

The grant, which was announced Thursday, March 16, comes from the state’s Local Share Account Program which is funded through the PA Race Horse Development and Gaming Act utilizing gaming revenues for public interest projects.

“This funding will continue to move the riverfront redevelopment forward,” said Bob Fiscus, City Manager of Sharon, adding that the project began in February.

The demolition of the five-story building is part of bigger plans in the works to create a public recreation space next to the Shenango River right in the heart of the city’s downtown. The former bank building — which was built in the late 1960s originally as a First Federal Savings and Loan Association — had its last iteration as Huntington Bank. The city purchased the building from Huntington last year, which had closed its Sharon office in January 2021.

The building demo project is planned to be completed by June.