Stahl-Urban bldg. demolition plans moving slowly
A proposal to tear down one of Brookhaven's first manufacturing plants for salvageable materials is progressing slowly, officials said.
City Attorney Joe Fernald said lawyers must clear up some paperwork on the Stahl-Urban Manufacturing property before the project can be advertised for contractors' bids to tear down the 65,000-square-foot facility.
“It's clear we own the facilities, but we want to clarify some discrepancies," he said.
The plant, located on Main Street in the Pearlhaven community of Brookhaven MS, is located on several property parcels, Fernald said. It is one of the most utilitarian pieces of property in the city's inventory because of its size and location, and portions of it have been leased and sub-leased many times since Stahl-Urban Manufacturing closed down in the late 1970s.
Over time, some of that paperwork has become muddled, he said.
"Through that time, there were many papers changing hands. We decided to draw the line at 2006 and bring all that paperwork into order," Fernald said.
The work largely means researching deeds and contract details, he said, and shouldn't take too long. He expects the research to be completed by July 15.
"We're under some self-imposed deadlines. It should be soon," Fernald said.
The push to clarify the property's paperwork was provided by an Alabama businessman in January. He proposed tearing down the old plant for its salvageable materials. In exchange, the contractor would gravel over the lot and make it suitable for the current tenants in warehouses on each side of the old plant.
Aldermen have since determined that the businessman who proposed the plan would have to bid on the project along with all other interested parties because of the value of the materials.
An unusable electrical system, low ceilings and faulty flooring are among many reasons why the building should be torn down, said Cliff Brumfield, executive director of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce. A search to find a permanent tenant for the main building has been fruitless for years.
The building proposed for demolition consists of more than 65,000 square feet, much of which is covered with one-inch maple flooring. Other salvageable materials include ceiling to floor joists, beams and rafters.
According to an early 1980s speculative brochure, the original manufacturing plant was constructed in the early 1940s as a garment factory. The seven-acre site consists of original plant, warehouses and a 75,000-gallon water tower.
Auburn Sportswear and Kellwood Co. are among former tenants of the original plant after the Stahl-Urban shutdown.
Warehouses on each side of the original plant were added in 1949, 1959 and 1963. The current site consists of three buildings: the main plant and a warehouse to each side.
The warehouses are currently leased. SUCO owns one of the metal warehouses while the city retains ownership of the other metal warehouse.
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