LIMA — A derelict industrial building on Lima’s east side is coming down, a move that city administrators hope will provide a very attractive piece of real estate for new development.
The former Davidson Enamel facility in the 1100 block of East Kibby Street is about halfway demolished, according to the Lima Public Works Department, with the materials to be recycled. The demolition will encompass 20 steel structures over the 11-acre industrial site, freeing up 235,000 square feet of what will eventually be shovel-ready industrial space for a new manufacturing or other industrial business.
“We often go out to a greenfield site and then we have to install all the infrastructure in order to make a fresh site accessible for business and industry,” Mayor David Berger said during his weekly news conference, held this week at the East Kibby Street site. “Here, the infrastructure is already in place. We have rail access, we have highway access, we have water and sewer on the site as well as a sizable location where a significant business could locate.”
The demolition, funded by Jerry, Barry and Sam Edelman, owners of neighboring EDCO Tool & Supply, is expected to be completed by early fall.
“Our family has owned the property and operated a business here since 1977 and now it’s time that the buildings be demolished and the site be repurposed,” Sam Edelman said in a statement. “The demolition and repurposing of this parcel will make this site available for a new generation of business owners that will create jobs for Lima’s future.”
For 5th Ward Councilwoman Teresa Adams, seeing the decaying structure finally coming down is a welcome sight for residents in that part of her ward.
“It’s a welcome sight to the 5th Ward and to neighbors and residents,” she said. “It’s a win-win for everyone, and I know the residents are excited to see it come down.”
EDCO Tool, 1101 E. Kibby St., will remain open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays during the demolition.
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