NOW: The former General Industries property Monday. (CT photo by Bruce Bishop.)

ELYRIA — What a difference a few weeks have made at the former General Industries site.

A two-block stretch of asbestos-contaminated debris, left untouched after a July 2008 fire ripped through the complex, has undergone a transformation courtesy of a cleanup crew hired by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Tons of brick and scrap steel have been removed.

“Oh, it’s a lot better,” said City Law Director Terry “Pete” Shilling. “Actually, they are close to being done and said they could be wrapped up as soon as next week.”

Shilling said the work there has so far generated 1,014 tons of scrap steel, which has been sold for $44,000, and 2,555 tons of asbestos-contaminated debris that has been taken to a landfill in Northfield.

THEN: Piles of rubble cover the former General Industries property on Oct. 14, more than a year after the fire. (CT file photo.)

The federal agency is doing the cleanup after owner John Peshek was unable to comply with federal regulation concerning asbestos abatement. Crews began in early October and will continue working until nothing remains but a concrete slab.

The cleanup is estimated to cost between $600,000 and $800,000.

However, Peshek will likely not be required to personally reimburse the agency for the cost of the cleanup. The property is actually owned by Peshek’s company, B Vest Properties LLC, a limited liability company and Peshek did not have insurance on the property.

Once completed, the U.S. EPA will place a lien on the property and — in the event it is sold — will recoup its money that way.
In addition, the city has tacked on a $40,000 lien of its own.

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