Lead paint and asbestos cleanup will begin this spring at the site of the former Allentown Metal Works.
Allentown is loaning $376,200 from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant so that the city’s Commercial and Industrial Development Authority can pay for the cleanup, which is the final stage before the more than 20-acre property can be renovated for return to industrial production.
The first cleanup was completed in 2013-14, which resulted in the removal of the most dangerous hazardous material on the site.
Allentown Metal Works is an abandoned brownfield site at 606 S. 10th St. The site has an industrial history dating to the late 1890s. Plans for the property depend on removing all of hazardous materials so that redevelopment can occur, said David Kimmerly, senior planner for the city.
It is owned by ACIDA, which plans to complete the cleanup over three to four months, according to Kimmerly.
He said the plan is then to demolish five of the eight buildings on the site to provide for parking. The remaining three buildings will be rehabilitated and remodeled, and the property will be marketed for sale to potential industrial users.
