ATHENS, Ohio — A subcontractor working in Uptown Athens is seeking more than $200,000 for its work on the Lostro Project property that it says remains unpaid.
Hebron, Ohio-based Bontrager Mechanical, LLC is claiming a lien on property at 63. S. Court St. in Athens, owned by Columbus, Ohio-based company Indus Hotels, doing business as Lostro Ventures LLC. A lien is a debt tied to a property, filed in order to secure payment.
Bontrager Mechanical alleges in the affidavit that as of June 28, Miles-McClellan Construction Company, Inc. owes Bontrager $203,478 for labor and/or materials. Bontrager Mechanical was a subcontractor for Miles-McClellan Construction’s work on the Lostro Project property.
In a statement, Miles-McClellan Construction Strategic Communications Director Bethany Lewis said:
During the course of this project, one subcontractor submitted an unusually high volume of requests for additional work and fees beyond the original contract. We followed standard procedures to review the quality and scope of the work, validate the requests, and ensure alignment with the project’s budget and schedule. As those requests were under review, delays occurred in the subcontractor’s contracted work. Routine notices were issued and our team remained in communication with all parties to encourage collaboration and maintain project progress. Ultimately, the subcontractor chose to withdraw from the project and was replaced by another professional to keep the renovation moving forward.
Lewis said in an email that Miles-McClellan Construction is “honored to contribute to the Lostro historical renovation in Athens, Ohio — a landmark project in a community we’ve supported for years.”
“We are aware of the claim the subcontractor has filed,” Lewis said in an email. “We are reconciling records and confident that all outstanding questions will be resolved through the appropriate processes.”
Botanger Mechanical declined to comment. Indus Hotels/Lostro Ventures did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Ohio Department of Commerce Public Information Officer Franklin Freytag said in an email that the Lostro building is currently under construction under only a partial permit.
“There are several outstanding concerns, including issues related to Ohio Building Code compliance,” Freytag stated. “The Division of Industrial Compliance outlined the concerns in a correction letter sent to the submitter (usually the architect/engineer). … We received a reply to the open correction letter on August 14 from the project’s architect/engineer, and that response is currently under review.”
The Independent’s public records request for the records Freytag referenced is pending.
The Lostro Project is the ongoing renovation and redevelopment of a building that originally housed a car dealership and, most recently, Follett’s Ohio University Bookstore. The project’s estimated total cost is around $11 million. The project has received significant tax credits and other government incentives, including a state-awarded $1 million tax credit in 2024..
In 2022, the Lostro project received a $1.95 million state historic preservation tax credit and a $431,920 Brownfield Remediation Program grant through the Athens County Port Authority.
In 2024, Lostro Ventures signed an enterprise zone agreement with Athens County. The agreement grants the developers 10 years of tax-free property improvements on the condition that the site creates at least 55 “full-time permanent and temporary job opportunities” within two years of completion, among other stipulations. All construction must be completed by the end of 2026, according to the agreement.
The building is also part of the Athens Uptown Historic District and comprises a district of its own, the Athens Regional Energy Special Improvement District, Inc.
The city created the energy district at the request of Lostro Ventures, LLC. The district is made possible through the Ohio Property Assessed Clean Energy program.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Property Assessed Clean Energy programs allow “property owners to finance the upfront cost for qualified energy, water, resilience, and public benefit projects with funding through a voluntary assessment on the property tax bill.”
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