It's been years in the making, but the remaining few structures at the old General Chemical site in Amherstburg are being demolished.
Crews have been tearing away the once prosperous factory, now owned by Honeywell International, for months. Officials say the entire cleanup and demolition should be complete by August.
We have dust monitoring going on,” Vaughan Hansen, Honeywell plant manager. “We have water to suppress dust, so we're very proud of the job that's being done to ensure the safety of the public."
Many people in Amherstburg are pleased to see the cleanup finally taking place.
"It's about time,” Linda Brooks. “We need it cleaned up, something should go in there that's safe and can prosper.”
She remembers when the manufacturing plant was one of the area’s largest employers.
“It hired a lot of people for the town,” says Brooks. “It was good for town it was good for business."
At one point, General Chemical was one of the town's largest taxpayers before going bankrupt in 2005.
At this point officials are still evaluating their options with the demolition and restoration of the property.
A unique crane was brought in, most recently used at the Elliot Lake mall disaster, for its extensive reach.
"There's very few pieces of equipment in the country that has the reach and extent that this equipment has," says Hansen.
So far 13,000 tonnes of steel have been recycled, along with 16,000 tonnes of concrete.
"Overall the recycling rate for the project has been at 88 per cent which is pretty impressive," says Hansen.
The whole restoration of the property has been a long process. About 69,000 man hours have gone into the demolition.
