GE Prepares to Tear Down Old Youngstown Plant
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- General Electric Co. is removing materials from inside its former Youngstown Lamp Plant near downtown in preparation to take down the structure.
“Deconstruction of the exterior structure will begin in the coming weeks,” confirms Alicia Gauer, manager-internal communications for GE Lighting in Cleveland.
During the deconstruction phase, the building is carefully taken apart, with as many building materials as possible salvaged and reused, "without generating excessive waste and minimizing things like dust," Gauer explained.
Deconstruction of the main building of the former Trumbull Lamp Plant in Warren, which closed earlier this year, is completed and the site will be restored to support resale. The annex building there is being actively marketed and offers are being sought, she said. In addition, deconstruction of the Niles-Mahoning Glass Plant in Niles is under way, with a spring completion date anticipated. The office warehouse portions, which are not being torn down, are expected to be marketed this year.
Deconstruction of the Youngstown plant building should be finished by June, Gauer said. Contractors working on the area sites have had conversations with city and county agencies involvied in permitting for the deconstruction-related work, she reported.
“Deconstructing these properties will make them more attractive for alternative business uses, ensuring the properties don’t stand vacant and are put to good use,” Gauer said. There already have been some discussions regarding the properties “and GE believes that this action will open up more of those conversations,” she remarked.
A parking lot adjacent to the former Youngstown plant was put up for sale last year (READ STORY). Constructed in 1909, the 172,000-square-foot plant building has been idled since the 1980s. The Trumbull plant annex building is 20,000 square feet and the Niles-Mahoning buildings comprise about 190,000 square feet, she reported
Demolition of the Youngstown building, located at 40 Hughes St. just off Market Street near the Interstate 680 access ramps and just south of downtown, would create a highly visible, prime site for development, said T. Sharon Woodberry, city economic development director. “Certainly if the building is not going to be put into productive use that is the best outcome that I can see for the site,” she said.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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