Milford residents pressed Mayor Ralph Vilardo for answers Thursday, July 30, about a former elementary school that has sat vacant for years amid asbestos problems, confronting city leaders at a community forum as new housing development raises questions about school capacity.

Dozens of residents gathered at Cincinnati Distilling on Mill Street for a WCPO "Let's Talk" forum, voicing frustrations about the stalled Milford South Elementary site and what a wave of new construction could mean for Milford Exempted Village School District classrooms.

Resident Steve Jones demanded answers about the old school at 777 Garfield Ave. The building opened in 1957, closed in 2004, and was sold by the district to Commercial Development Services Group for $645,000 in January 2022, according to Cincinnati Enquirer reporting at the time. The developer planned to convert the 13.6-acre property into six townhomes.

That hasn't happened.

"The problem is the building is filled with asbestos," Jones said at the forum. "So, they can't tear it down because it's going to cost millions of dollars. So, I'd like to know what their plan is now?"

Resident Anne Kuhn described the building, which now sits surrounded by newly built homes, as "just a hunk of brick and glass." Attendees estimated it has been stalled for roughly four years.

Vilardo confirmed the property is tied up in litigation but told WCPO he is equally frustrated and cannot share details.

Beyond the old school building, residents raised broader concerns about whether the district can absorb students from new housing. Kuhn asked how new development would overwhelm local schools, calling parking another issue.

The worry comes as Clermont County issued a record 6,156 building permits in 2025, the third consecutive annual record, with the county planning commission reviewing plans for more than 3,800 new housing units, according to county data.

The district's enrollment picture is complicated. MEVSD enrollment has actually declined in recent years, dropping from 6,668 students in 2019-2020 to 5,754 on the most recent Ohio report card. But the district is also navigating financial pressure: a November 2024 income tax levy failed, and a state performance audit projected expenditures would exceed revenues by $3.9 million in fiscal year 2025, with the gap growing to $12 million by FY 2029.

The district has also reshuffled its buildings, opening a new middle school and closing the former junior high and a preschool building going into the current school year.

The forum followed Milford's April 2026 State of the City address, where Vilardo outlined plans to reshape downtown over the next decade. No representative from the district or Superintendent John W. Spieser spoke at the event.

The Milford Exempted Village School District has not publicly addressed whether new housing is expected to reverse its enrollment decline. The district's five-member board, which includes Emily Mason, Mary Anne Will, Michael Wilson, Myra Powers, and Emily Chesnut, has not announced its next meeting date as of July 30.