County Leaders, Residents Weary Of Work On Abandoned Mill

CHESTER, S.C.,None — Gilbert Ervin has lived and worked near the former Springsteen Mill for most of his life. He remembers when it was a lively, busy place. Now, the mill is a massive ruin, a dilapidated crumbling row of brick buildings in the heart of downtown Chester.

"It's a shame people have to live in front of this and see this when they look outside," Ervin said. "This shouldn't be here like this."

Over the years, Ervin has seen groups of contractors arrive, promising to clean up the huge property, but never did. Instead, they only took the valuable metal and wood inside the aging buildings.

"Four or five groups at least have come and gone," he said. "They're supposed to clean up the mess and haul if off, but they just come in and get what they want out of it, and leave it standing like it is now."

Last year, the city of Chester got a $500,000 grant to clean up the Springsteen Mill site. The work is slow, but ongoing. A company is currently on site doing demolition.

However, the story at other former mills in Chester County is much different.

Chester County Supervisor Carlisle Roddey said at least five times over the years, someone has promised county officials to clean up old mill sites, and has instead taken the valuables and split.

"I call it robbing and raping the buildings," Roddey said. "Once they get the steel out of there, they're gone in the middle of the night."

It's happened at Springsteen, Eureka, Gayle and J.P. Stevens mills from Chester to Great Falls. Roddey said that, years ago, the county didn't require permits or any guarantees, which led to a lot of broken promises.

In 2007, the county passed a law requiring performance guarantees for work on those sites. The law requires a cash bond upfront for part of the work, or at least a statement of credit.

On Friday, Eyewitness News spoke with Jim Womack and Larry Ramsey at the site of the former Eureka Mill on Saluda Street. The two men are from Illinois and saw the 30-acre site listed on eBay.

Womack said he paid just $80,000 for it.

"We plan to clean this up and sell it," he said. "We can do it in six to eight months if we can get our permits."

Right now, the two men are only allowed outside the mill. They can't salvage any valuables from inside until they show either proof of ownership of the property, or a guarantee of the work they plan to do.

County officials said they haven't seen either, but Womack said he'll have everything together in a few days.

"I've done this kind of work for 30 years, all over the country. We're not just going to leave this place," Womack said. "We want to hold onto it, until it's worth something again."

In January, Ramsey was cited for working at the mill property without a permit and fined $500. A judge later dropped the fine.

Both men said they understand the county's concerns due to past bad experiences, but they plan to be here for the long haul.

However, with a crumbling eyesore in front of them for more than two decades, neighbors have their doubts. So do county leaders, who want proof before they allow yet another out-of-state contractor to take a bulldozer to an old mill.

"That's what we're trying to do, is make sure they clean it up and leave it in good condition when they leave," Roddey said.

WSOC