Moundsville, West Virginia (WiredPRNews.com)– An abandoned property in Moundsville, West Virginia will soon undergo some much needed improvement work after having sat vacant for more than two decades.
“It hurt our economy when we lost the Fostoria. It had 700 to 800 employees at any one time. So that was a major dent in our employment,” said city manager Allen Hendershot. “The developers on site have taken down an additional five buildings and it’s very visible the change in the site now,” he added.
Next on the agenda for the former Fostoria property is asbestos removal, a critical step in salvaging what is left of the building. Last week, the Moundsville city council agreed that removing the toxic fiber was essential, and hired a consulting firm to map out the exact route needed to carry out the project.
Asbestos exposure has been conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer that affects nearly 3,000 Americans annually.
“We’re hoping to have the preliminary remedial action plan ready by mid-January. We’ll have to submit that to the [Department of Environmental Protection] for approval,” Hendershot said. “But we’re hoping that we’ll be able to keep this process moving quickly now.”
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