Work Progressing at Fostoria Site

MOUNDSVILLE – Although Tom Brown and James Tomlinson do not yet have any official deals for the Fostoria Glass Co. property they own along First Street, they believe they are well on their way to transforming the former eyesore into a productive part of the city.

During a Moundsville City Council meeting this week, Brown and Tomlinson, who co-own GAB Enterprises and do business as Vinmar Partners, told members they are about halfway finished packing 200,000 cubic yards of contaminant-free soil into the site to raise it to street-level.

The Fostoria factory once employed about 1,000 workers at its pinnacle of production, but the facility closed after firing its last piece of glassware in 1986. Following its closure, the large buildings eventually fell into disrepair.

“It is going to be hard to duplicate the impact that Fostoria Glass had on Moundsville. But anything that comes will be helpful,” Tomlinson said.

Via 30 trucks per day, contractors hauled the soil for the Fostoria site from the Proctor area. Brown said the dirt meets all Environmental Protection Agency safety standards.

“To our knowledge, there have only been a few dust complaints,” Tomlinson said. “We thank the city of Moundsville for working with us. Everyone has been very cooperative.”

EPA records show the Fostoria land qualified for a $200,000 Brownfields cleanup grant in 2009. EPA information states the soil and buildings at the Fostoria site at that time were contaminated with arsenic, metals and inorganic contaminants. Brown said workers removed all of this hazardous material to prepare the site for redevelopment.

“We have had on-site meetings with a development company from the Akron/Canton area. All options are on the table,” Tomlinson said.

Tomlinson and Brown also acknowledging some companies involved in the Marcellus and Utica shale drilling industry are looking at the land for possible development, but declined to provide additional details regarding the nature of such firms.

“I have heard everything from a Sheetz to a fracking plant to a hotel,” Mayor Eugene Saunders said of possible development for the Fostoria site, while adding he appreciated the efforts of Brown and Tomlinson.

“You have done a marvelous job over there,” Saunders said.

The Moundsville Economic Development Council and the city of Moundsville joined forces in 2000 in an effort to raze the Fostoria structures. However, when officials found extensive soil contamination, it took several years – and help from the EPA – to complete the work.

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