Once upon a time the Marina District Plans included the ACME Power Plant — when the city was seeking funds for clean up in 2003 it was said, “In order to ensure the success of the Marina District, the City must fully remediate the ACME Power Plant to enable end users to restore this historically significant symbol of Toledo’s industrial past. The City of Toledo has worked with engineers and asbestos removal contractors for the removal of asbestos from the three boiler sections of the ACME Power Plant, along with the demolition of the boilers to create usable space for redevelopment.”
The US EPA grant was to remove asbestos. The total estimated cost to remove additional asbestos in the east wing and mid boiler wing was an additional $4 million in 2003.
It was also said a successful outcome would be the abatement of asbestos to facilitate reuse of “this historic symbol of Toledo’s industrial past.”
In 1884 the site was first the home of Maumee Rolling Mill, it then was bought by Republic Iron & Steel in 1900. The site then became a coal fired power plant was constructed by the ACME Power Company and became under the control of Toledo Edison in 1921. At one time the ACME Power Plant generated most of the electricity for our area, after the Bay Shore Power Plant came online in 1959 and Davis-Besse in 1977, ACME went out of operation in 1994. The City of Toledo obtained the property from Toledo Edison in 2003, along with $3 million from Edison towards clean up of the brownfield.
The 125-acre Marina District was described as a “$320 million waterfront redevelopment along the Maumee River in downtown Toledo that will result in a new recreation and entertainment destination point for residents and visitors of the City of Toledo.”
Deputy Mayor Tom Crothers during a May Toledo City Council hearing said Dashing Pacific also wants to buy the ACME Plant and Edison Park, which is an additional about 22.75 acres, he said if the same appraisal price is used that would generate an additional $1.25 million dollars.
Part of the plant was demolished earlier this year, Acme Dismantling won the bid on that part of the project through Burge Wrecking and paid Toledo a total of $50,000 for the work. In return Acme Dismantling was given salvage rights to the steel from the project. Toledo now plans to spend $400,000 from it’s 2011 Capital Improvement Plan budget “to demolish the entire ACME Power Station located in the Marina District and to reclaim this property to a depth of four (4) feet.”
“You may recall that the purchase offer with Dashing Pacific contains a term which would indicate that Dashing Pacific will only likely consider exercising its option once this building is remediated and reclaimed. Accordingly, the Administration is working with the Ohio EPA and other state agencies to determine how this ‘attractive nuisance’ can be demolished timely and cost effectively,” said Crothers in a July 7 referral.
The referral was made by Councilman George Sarantou seeking an explanation for a $400,000 line item in the CIP budget for “River Redevelopment.”
