Cleanup at Sebring's Royal China property to begin in summer

SEBRING − State and local officials expect the former Royal China property to be cleaned and redeveloped within a few years.

"This is real. This is happening," said Debora Flora, executive director of Mahoning County Land Bank. "This will be seen through to its completion."

Flora and other officials, including Sebring Mayor James Harp, celebrated a major milestone Monday in the project with a news conference at the village's Fire Department substation across the street from the 20-acre brownfield site.

The officials said funding for the $1.8 million cleanup project on South 15th Street has been secured and delineation testing to identify specific areas of lead-contaminated soil to be removed or covered started this week.

Jim Smith, president of Brownfield Restoration Group in Akron, said the process would take at least a year but he expected crews to start cleaning and hauling soil to landfills around mid-summer.

He also said the removal of this soil will not pose any health risks to residents.

The former Royal Sebring China Company site has been a dormant eyesore for decades. There were four fires, including a 2010 blaze that led to demolition of the factory building, in its history.

Flora and Harp said an attempt to clean up the site in 2008 failed due to lack of funding.

But, in 2020, Mike Conny, the owner of MAC Trailer and several other area real estate properties, bought the property, which gave the project new life. Harp said Conny "stepped up" for the village.

"The property is in good hands with Mr. Conny," Flora said.

Conny has expectations for the property, but not any specific plans.

He said he wants the site to be used for industrial purposes with high-paying jobs. He also said he hopes to start developing the property within three years.

"Revitalization and redevelopment of this site is progress. It is positive," Harp said.

Others in attendance at Monday's event included Mahoning County Commissioner David Ditzler, Mahoning County Treasurer Dan Yemma, Sebring Fire Chief Mike Springer, State Rep. Lauren McNally and State Sen. Michael A. Rulli.

"This project has been on our radar for a long time," said Yemma, chairman of the Land Bank. "It has been 50 years sitting there in disrepair."

A $1.5 million state brownfield grant secured by the Land Bank will pay for most of the project. Conny and county commissioners provided the local match of $231,000.

"It's projects like this, not only in Sebring, but in particular Youngstown and Warren proper, you see a lot of these sites right off the highway and that would be idealistic (for companies)," Rulli said. "Without cleaning up these sites, it's not going to happen. So today's such a privilege to be here."

After the cleanup is finished, Smith's group will write a "No Further Action Letter" to confirm the remediation to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for final approval, and then the site can be used.

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: bduerREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Cleanup at Sebring's Royal China property to begin this summer