From a Dirty Eyesore to a Future Park

When the former owners of the Allen-Morrison Corp. abruptly locked the doors on their property more than decade ago, they left behind a mess that included containers of chemicals and materials that had accumulated at the site for years. Many government officials feared they also left behind what would become an environmental nightmare.

Since then, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Environmental Quality have worked with the city to clean up the site, which may one day be turned into a city park. The city acquired the property through an eminent domain proceeding.

The final step toward that clean-up is about to begin, as a demolition contractor is about to begin work on tearing the brick building down. Folks in the Rutherford Street neighborhood learned at a meeting last week that the demolition contractor plans to use an eco-friendly approach to dismantling the building that involves salvaging and recycling as many materials as possible.

Crews are clearing trash and debris from the building, which will be followed by asbestos removal.

Dee Dee Connor, project manager for the city, said the city has been working toward this end for years. “We’re happy to finally be doing things that everyone can see. We’ve been doing a lot of things before, but not things people could see.”

Lynchburg has drawn national attention for its work to redevelop this property. In 2008, the project was one of 16 nationwide that made it into the EPA’s Brownfield Sustainability Pilot Program. That is an initiative designed to identify and support projects that could one day serve as a model for other cities.

The property was designated as a brownfield by environmental regulators, meaning that its redevelopment could be complicated by the risk of pollution. Subsequent testing uncovered some minor soil contamination, but the overall findings were not as bad as once thought.

A DEQ official noted that inspectors were apprehensive about what they would find at the site, but have since concluded that the project can be achieved.

Some additional testing will be required once the demolition is complete, but the DEQ official said no problems are anticipated.

The long-range plan for the property is to convert the site into a public park with tie-ins to the adjacent Lynchburg Grows and City Stadium. City officials urged those at last week’s public meeting to stay in touch with them during the demolition process and to voice any concerns that may arise.

They also stressed that no decisions would be made about the park without public comment.

Most cities would be chomping at the bit to trade in a potentially seriously polluted industrial site for a park with sidewalks and benches and grass and flowers. That’s what could be happening over on Rutherford Street in the not too distant future.

It’s a bit of progress in a world that once measured progress by the number of industrial sites it could build.