Demolition Plans Move Ahead At Heron Park

Demolition Plans Move Ahead At Heron Park
The dilapidated former poultry processing plant building located on Heron Park's property is pictured. File photo by Charlene Sharpe

BERLIN– Municipal officials agreed to hire a local company to prepare bid documents for the demolition of the former Tyson building at Heron Park.

The Berlin Town Council voted unanimously this week to approve a proposal from Davis, Bowen & Friedel for engineering administration services associated with the demolition of the former Tyson plant. The town received a $500,000 strategic demolition grant from the state last year to demolish the dilapidated chicken processing building on parcel 57 at the park.

“This is regarding strategic demolition funds granted by DHCD that do have a timeline attached to them so we do want to get this project underway,” Mayor Zack Tyndall said.

Andrew Welch of Davis, Bowen & Friedel met with the council Tuesday to review a proposal from the company regarding preparation of bid documents (at a cost of $23,500) and engineering administration services (at a cost of $16,000) for the demolition of the former Tyson plant. He said much of the work would involve surveying the property to locate pertinent features of the site, including all structures and property lines.

“All those are important to develop a set of specifications for a demolition project,” he said.

Welch added that an important part of the process would be a pre-bid meeting for companies interested in the work.

“The most important thing is that bidders tour the entire building and can formulate their bids based on knowledge of the plant itself,” he said.

When asked if the survey would show any encroachment on the property, Welch said that would likely be clear with the markings surveyors would leave in the field. He said the survey would also include photographs.

The council voted unanimously to approve the Davis, Bowen & Friedel proposal. Staff indicated it was the first step toward demolition of the aging building, which will likely be done whether the park property is sold or not.

“We’re trying to move forward with the demolition grant,” Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said. “Some of this is also tied to the ongoing discussion of the sale of the property.”

Elected officials are currently in talks with Gillis Gilkerson regarding the developer’s offer to purchase much of the Heron Park property.  The company’s proposal offered the town $1.5 million for three parcels—parcel 410, 57 and 191—and would involve partial demolition of the existing structures to create a commercial project. It’s likely that if the town accepts the proposal, the building will be demolished per the specifications from Gillis Gilkerson whereas if it’s not accepted the entire structure will be torn down.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.