ROCK HILL, S.C.,None — After years of talks, financing issues and seemingly endless hurdles, Rock Hill city leaders took a major step Thursday toward erasing a longtime landmark from the skyline.
The city council approved an historic agreement to demolish the former Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Plant, known as the bleachery.
"This is a major milestone in the history of Rock Hill," said Mayor Doug Echols in a news conference following a specially-called meeting.
The deal is between the city, Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company and Action Demolition and Recycling.
• VIDEO: Bleachery
Under the deal, the owners will destroy the former textile mill, remove asbestos, clear off the property and have it ready for development in six months. Once environmental tests and other studies show the land is suitable for development, the city will reimburse the owners for $5 million worth of work.
The owners told Eyewitness News the cost of demolition, permits and testing will be more than $6 million in total.
The city plans to use money from a special tax district to repay the bleachery owners in a series of payments. Once that's complete, the city will own the empty land.
The vote was 6 to 1 early Thursday, with only Councilman Kevin Sutton voting against the agreement. He expressed concern that if the funding doesn't pan out, taxpayers could be stuck with the bill for the demolition work.
The former bleachery opened in 1929, and at one time was Rock Hill's largest employer with more than 4,800 people working there. Steadmon Oxendine, 85, worked at a dye machine there. He started in 1945 and left in 1998 when the plant closed for good.
"It was a nice place to work," he said. "A good place to work. They took care of us real well."
By the end of the year, the sprawling 1-million-square-foot mill will be only a memory. That's sad for Oxendine, but he said he wants to see the place improve.
"A lot of memories there," he said. "More than I could probably tell you about."
Since it closed in 1998, the bleachery has fallen into disrepair. The push to raze the building took on new urgency last summer when two men set fire to the complex twice. They damaged 25 percent of the buildings, forcing officials to spend more money to demolish it.
• RAW VIDEO: Chopper 9 Shows Fire Engulfing Bleachery
Will Simmons, with Rock Hill Printing and Finishing, said the arsons added $1 million to the cost of the cleanup because of structural damage to the building and asbestos concerns.
"It will run the cost up quite a bit, and we'll have to take down the building a little bit differently," he said.
Once the bleachery is gone, city leaders hope the property catches the eye of a developer with the right vision for the site. They have long envisioned retail shops, housing, businesses and green space there.
City leaders also said they hope the area can be linked with the nearby growing campus of Winthrop University.
Previous Stories: April 26, 2010: Man Pleads Guilty To Arson In Bleachery Fires April 13, 2010: Teen Sentenced in Bleachery Arson August 5, 2009: Aunt Calls Bleachery Fire Suspect Disturbed August 4, 2009: Two Charged In Rock Hill Bleachery Fires July 16, 2009: Fires At Rock Hill Bleachery Intentionally Set July 12, 2009: Investigators: Flare-Up At Bleachery May Be Intentional July 5, 2009: Fire At Old Mill Burns Through Weekend
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