DHEC officials inform residents ofplans to demolish mill
Jamie Durant/Morning News
Published: May 1, 2008
POST YOUR COMMENTSPublished: May 1, 2008
DARLINGTON — S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) officials informed residents Thursday about plans to demolish the Milliken mill in Darlington.
Adam Myrick, DHEC spokesman, said the problem goes back to the early 1990s.
“That’s when we began our investigation,” he said. “In terms of recent involvement, we’ve had a responsible party step to the forefront and begin discussing some of their plans for the site.”
The group responsible for the property, Vishay GSI Inc., called in an environmental clean-up company, WSP Inc., to assist in the demolition and removal of hazardous materials. WSP Inc. is based in Virginia, and they specialize in removing hazardous materials and other contaminants from sites as needed.
A number of people attended the public information meeting, including Darlington Mayor Tony Wilkins and assistant city manager Howard Garland.
Garland said he had a number of questions he would like answered by DHEC.
“We’ve just come to see what exactly DHEC has planned for the old Nytronics site,” he said. “(I want to know), if they’re going to take the building down, what is their timeline? What do they have planned as far as debris removal?”
DHEC Project Manager for the site, Judy Canova, took her time and answered all of Garland’s questions, as well as a few others.
She said the clean-up and removal will include inside the building, the floors, walls and sumps, as well. She said the clean-up site will extend to the sediment of Swift Creek, ground water and soil beneath the site, a drainage ditch located on the western side of the property and sediment in the storm sewer.
“We’ve found polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), perchloroethylene (PCE), a solvent used at dry cleaning facilities, and trichloroethene,” Canova said.
She also said asbestos had been found inside the building.
Although many residents had questions about the removal process, few opposed removing the mill. Peggy Sheffield, past president of the West End Reunion organization — a group that gathers each year to reunite the workers and family members of people who worked in the mill — said she had hoped DHEC would be able to preserve the site for its historical value.
“It’s just sad because it is a historical building,” Sheffield said. “It was the hub of the community for many years. Those are the reasons we hate to see it torn down, but they tell us we have no choice because of the contamination.”
Canova told the gathered group of residents that the clean-up of the site will not cost taxpayers anything, since Vishay GSI Inc. has contracted WSP Inc. to handle the removal and disposal of any contaminants, including the building itself.
She said the initial removal of the building and other facilities on the site will take about six months.
At that time, she said, the clean-up of the contaminates in the soil and groundwater will begin after a second public meeting is held.
WSP Inc., will remove any contaminated material from the site in approved containers to go to an appropriate disposal location.
Myrick said DHEC officials will continue to monitor the work of WSP Inc. throughout the process, although they will not be participating in the actual clean-up.
“We supervise them,” he said. “We make sure they (the clean-ups) are done with the full protection of the public and the environment in mind.”
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