Cleanup continues at plant

The mayor said the site was an embarrassment but will be transformed.
WARREN -- Wednesday's blast of warm, drying sunshine was perfect for just about any outdoor activity -- except for decontaminating a closed power plant demolition site.
Workers off Summit Street at the Environmental Protection Agency-funded cleanup site for the Mahoningside power plant have an easier job when the weather is wet.
Workers have to spray down the debris piles when it's dry outside to minimize dust and the possibility of air contamination, said Mark Durno, the on-scene coordinator with EPA Region V.
Update
Durno and city officials gave an update on the cleanup effort during a city hall news conference.
The cleanup of the mixed PCB- and asbestos-contaminated material is ongoing. The work started Feb. 21, and the bulk of activity is supposed to be done by the end of April, Durno said.
At this stage, 4,644 tons of low-level PCB material containing asbestos has been hauled away from the site on the Mahoning River. Also, 1,456 tons of higher-level PCB contaminated material was shipped off the site.
"These are staggering numbers of contaminated debris. I mean, to this point 6,100 tons ... and of course there's more there," Mayor Michael O'Brien said.
The site was a hydroelectric and coal-burning power plant from the early 1900s until the mid-1970s. The power plant sits on six acres, and the foundation encompasses 34,000 square feet.
An eyesore
The building had been vacant since 1975 and was "an embarrassment" to the city along the important state Route 45 corridor, the mayor said.
Durno said the PCB level of contamination was a bit higher than had been anticipated.
"It justifies this cleanup," he said.
The air is monitored, and there is no danger to the growing number of people venturing outdoors to watch the progress of workers in protective suits, Durno said. There is on-site security at night to keep people out of the work area.
The first phase of cleanup was conducted from August 2000 through March 2001 and involved disposal of about 1,800 tons of PCB-contaminated debris. This phase is expected to cost the EPA about $800,000. Total costs could top $2 million.
Funding
Warren officials have said they will apply for federal brownfield site funds and Clean Ohio money with the hope of redeveloping the site.
"Once the U.S. EPA's task is complete, and the brownfield task starts and the Clean Ohio task starts, that site will be completely different than what it is now," O'Brien said.
It will be seeded, greened up and marketed.
"There is progress there, and there is going to be some light at the end of the tunnel," O'Brien said.
Removed material is sent to Minerva Enterprises Inc. in Minerva, Ohio, or Wayne Disposal Inc. in Belleville, Mich., for landfill disposal. Large debris is being pressure-washed and will be tested to see whether it can be used as fill on the site.