The fate of the former Henderson Laundry property remains undecided and local officials are working to take steps to get the site cleaned up and figure out its future.
The property, located at the corner of Chestnut Street and Andrews Avenue, is considered an abandoned property – no taxes have been paid since 2011.
The county commissioners’ Properties Committee shared an update during last week’s August 2 meeting. City representatives have asked the county’s support to take ownership of the property through tax foreclosure which would allow the property to be included in the N.C. Dry Cleaning Solvent Cleanup program.
Members of the Properties Committee – Dan Brummitt, Leo Kelly and Gordon Wilder – met to discuss the issue and shared their concerns with their fellow commissioners about taking possession of the property without knowing about costs and potential liabilities.
Investing in cleaning up a property that may not be usable or marketable in the future is another concern the committee shared.
According to information city representatives shared with the county, the state Dry Cleaning Solvent Cleanup (DCSC) program would limit cleanup cost liability to $16,000 around the building with an additional $15,000 estimated to cleanup residual chemicals within the building.
In addition to this amount, the city anticipates having to purchase the adjoining property and then spending as much as $400,000 for demolition of the structure in the next few years.
While the committee recognizes the need to clean up the property, the committee wonders whether the state N.C. Department of Environmental Quality could clean up the property and demolish the building without city and county involvement.
The committee requested the city to provide additional input and organize a meeting with N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) to better understand their timeframe for enforcement on the property before recommending whether the county should begin foreclosure or take ownership.
County Manager Jordan McMillen told WIZS News that the county has had some follow-up conversations with NCDEQ at the staff level and intends to speak further with the properties committee, but no details or commitments have been made yet.
