By David Meade/Stan Welch
Residents of the lower mill village in Pelzer will be glad to know that work has officially begun to remove a great eyesore and what many consider to be a hazard, from the lower mill property. According to Anderson County Planning Director Michael Forman Bulk Tower, a company from near Atlanta, began work on removing the pallets this week. The contract allows for thirty days to complete the removal and disposal, but Forman said he anticipates a shorter time than that. Foreman said the County and the Pelzer Heritage Commission have been working together to obtain funding for the cleanup and the County also assisted in letting the bids and awarding the contract.
Forman explained that the company can dispose of the pallets in any way that they wish, so long as the method is legal. “They can grind them, they can burn them, they can recycle them. Once they are off the site, they belong to the company.”
According to Pelzer Mills Properties LLC Chairman Larry Coker, the pallets are currently being carried by truck to the Twin Chimney Land Fill in South Greenville County. Coker said the removal of pallets from the lower mill property is a big step for the area.
“It is a big step forward as far as the Pelzer Heritage Commission and for the community,” Coker said as the first loads of pallets were being removed. Tuesday. “We are happy to get started. This is the next step as far as redevelopment of the property. The Pelzer community has been down and out about the project for so long. This is a big step and will help instill pride in the heighborhood.”
Coker said additional work will begin soon as part of a $250,000 revolving loan fund for cleanup on the lower mill property. “When we get the EPA issues our ot the way it will make the property more enticing to a developer,” he said.
Coker said he hopes to see work begin soon on the old office building also located on the property. The PHC and Anderson County have received a $48,000 grant to remove lead based paint and asbestos from the building.
Coker said he is excited that the town is moving forward on a Master Plan for Pelzer. “The Master Plan will play a big part in planning,” Coker said. “Once completed we will know where to go.”
The Town of Pelzer submitted a grant application Monday that if awarded will provide funding for the Master Plan.Pallett removal work underway in Pelzer
