In 2009, Harrison Township was awarded a $150,000 grant from Montgomery County’s CDBG Fund Board in order to assist Harrison Township in the demolition efforts at the old Parkway Inn site.  The CDBG-R grant was a grant which was tied to the federal “Stimulus Bill.”   

The Parkway Inn demolition project will consist of the demolition of the 13,120 square foot former hotel, known as “The Parkway Inn,” which is presently located at 2221 Wagner Ford Road.  Township staff hopes to remove the three structures which make up the property as well as filling in and grading the existing swimming pool in order to make the property shovel ready for future development activity.  The property is located at the northeastern part of the N. Dixie/Wagoner Ford traffic circle, just west of Interstate 75. 

The Parkway Inn was closed in 2005 as a result of a nuisance declaration made by the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.  The property was deemed a public nuisance and was deemed a danger to the surrounding community.  In the following four years, the property has become a haven for the homeless as well as the criminal minded.  The property has been boarded up on several separate occasions; however individuals continue to access the property by removing the boards.  In 2008 a fire was set to the interior of the property.  In 2009, the Harrison Township Fire Department declared the property to have unsafe conditions, in addition to being a fire hazard.  The Department of Public Health also passed condemnation orders on the property due to the missing 2^nd floor railings, fire hazard of the interior, and the overall condition of the property. 

The project went out to bid in January of 2010.  In March of 2010, the Harrison Township Board of Trustees awarded the contract to Steve R. Rauch Inc.  The demolition of the former Parkway Inn was kicked off on April 5, 2010 with a press conference held at the site with various local elected dignitaries.  Board Vice President Ronald Casey was the featured speaker and started the event welcoming everyone to the site as well as touching on the importance of the event.  Demolition started soon thereafter and the entire project, including the removal of the debris as well as grading and seeding, was completed within two weeks.