Building demolition begins at former Jeannette Glass
Building demolition at the former Jeannette Glass site is in full swing this week, according to Jason Rigone, director of the county's Industrial Development Corp.
Above-ground environmental remediation work has been ongoing for several weeks, but visible work at the defunct plant is under way, he said.
"The contractor's been on-site for several weeks," he said.
Local officials held a groundbreaking ceremony in late May for a $6 million redevelopment project at the 13-acre site where glass making operations ended in 1983. The initial work — demolition and cleanup — should be completed Nov. 30 under a $478,000 contract with AW McNabb LLC of McKees Rocks, Rigone said.
Multiple buildings on the property, including one close to Bullitt Avenue, were demolished on Friday, he said.
Today, demolition began on some of the structures at the Jeannette Glass site. #economicdevelopment #wcidc pic.twitter.com/qmznX6qkd0
" IDC (@WCIDC1) August 25, 2017
New York businessman Abraham Zion purchased the factory for $4 million in 1983 and promised to resurrect it. Instead, it sat dormant for decades.
The IDC bought the property in 2012 for $305,000 at a tax sale. Years of court challenges over the validity of the sale filed by Zion, who died last year, stymied plans to clean up and redevelop the site.
After the state Supreme Court upheld the sale, the parties reached a settlement in 2016 that allowed the county to take over in September. The property is littered with remnants of glass production, much of it contaminated with asbestos.
Future phases include removing building foundations and footers, excavation, compacting soil, planting grass, extending utilities and building a road. The project could be complete in late 2018.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta.
