With the help of $3 million in state and federal cleanup dollars, city leaders and Wright State University officials hope to finish demolition and environmental remediation of the property by the end of the year.
Both university and city officials have high hopes for the National Center for Medical Readiness, or Calamityville, which began offering training exercises last year and has already taught 500 police, medics and other safety personnel.
Once it’s fully operational Calamityville is expected to draw thousands for training each year resulting in an estimated $75 million in economic impact annually to the region.
Debbie McDonnel, Fairborn city manager, says new hotels and restaurants are “waiting in the wings.”
She hopes the city will soon reap the benefits of taking an environmentally risky former Cemex cement plant riddled with asbestos and other hazards and helping create WSU’s unique training ground.
“I’m just excited for the community,” she said.
Calamityville has been a source of excitement, but also concern for many involved with the project since its inception.
The severity of the environmental hazards at the Cemex property were debated and it is still unclear if the city can clean the property up enough that WSU will take ownership.
Fairborn took possession of the cement plant, and the liability of its hazards, after being granted $3 million of funds to rehabilitate brownfield industrial sites. The city plans to give the property to WSU after the cleanup is complete.
City council approved a $770,050 worth of change orders for the environmental work Aug. 30 bringing the total cleanup, demolition and renovation costs to $3.7 million, which includes some matching money from WSU.
Environmental cost are slightly more than the $1 million McDonnel expected due to some discoveries on the property, but bids came in low enough that contractors were able to complete more work than the initial contract stipulated.
“It is utilizing (grant) funds to get the best benefit to the site,” said Bud McCormick, associate director for Calamityville.
The project is both on time and budget, McCormick and McDonnel said. Workers must still complete asbestos cleanup and determine whether a spill of the industrial solvent trichloroethylene, a carcinogen, has been neutralized before the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency gives the site the clean bill of health WSU wants before taking possession.
McCormick once worked for Cemex and now is overseeing demolition, remediation and construction of the Calamityville campus for WSU. Old silos, debris and other remnants of the former factory have become new features of the training ground and provide some of the most realistic training facilities in the nation. “We want as austere a learning environment as possible,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2342 or cmagan @DaytonDailyNews.com.
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