Demolition underway at former Milton Poultry Plant

Demolition is underway at a brownfield site in Milton at the intersection of Front and Chestnut streets on the Broadkill River.

Crews with Clark's Excavating began work Wednesday, April 1, and planned to demolish the concrete building within one week. The property, which in the 1950s had been the site of Milton Poultry Plant, was purchased by the Milton Fire Department in 2012. It later served as storage for a Lewes-based paint company.

In 2012, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control tested the site for pollutants and found concentrations of benzopyrene – a byproduct of burning oils – in a few samples, as well as unsafe levels of arsenic, aluminum, iron and manganese.

Since the 2012 samples, the Milton Fire Department has worked with DNREC officials and Milton-based environmental contractor Ten Bears Environmental to clean up and restore the site, said Milton Fire Department Chief JR Clark, who also owns Clark's Excavating.

Clark said the existing building will be torn down, a 16,000-square-foot concrete pad removed and the property will be leveled with dirt from another Front Street site owned by the fire department.

The demolition project is budgeted at about $55,000, said Milton Fire Department President John Hopkins, who said the eyesore property will soon be cleared.

Hopkins asked residents for patience. “Don't mind our mess,” he said, adding the site should be cleaned within a few weeks.

Once the initial work is done, Milton Fire Department committees will explore options for how the property can be used. It was purchased to provide additional parking for the department – an option that is still on the table – but department representatives say other uses are being considered.

Hopkins and Clark said there is no timeline for redevelopment of the property.