A section of the shuttered Maritime Steel plant has been torn down and the rest of the buildings won’t be long to follow.
Marinus Verhagen who co-owns the building with Wayne Harris confirmed on Wednesday that they plan to demolish most of the buildings on the property and have obtained the permit to do it. His own company, Verhagen Demolition, will take care of the work.
The first section of one of the buildings came down on Wednesday but the remainder of the buildings will have to wait until the power has been disconnected.
“The old place is in pretty rough shape,” Verhagen said.
Equipment that was still in good operation has been auctioned off and metal from the buildings that are demolished will be recycled.
Some residents have expressed concern about a stray cat population that lives in the facility. Verhagen said they are leaving a smaller building that the cats will be able to use for shelter.
The office building was in the best shape when the facility was last in operation, but that too will be demolished in time, Verhagen said.
“There’s a lot of kids broke into the place and it’s in pretty rough shape,” he said.
Vandals stole copper from the buildings as well as other valuables that could be carried out.
To address environmental concerns, all the oils are being drained from equipment still in the building. Verhagen said it’s hard to say whether the soil on site is contaminated from previous pollutants at this point, but it’s something they’ll look into once the buildings are demolished.
The owners plan to sell the property once the buildings are razed if they can find someone who is interested.
Verhagen said it would be nice to see houses or something built on the land, which is located along the East River.
New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks said from a council perspective, they are happy to see the property being cleaned up.
“Our riverfront is one of our biggest assets in New Glasgow. Anything that improves that area is great,” she said. “We’re really pleased.”
She believes there is great potential for the property.
“I’m excited to see this happening,” she said. “There are many possibilities to come from it.”