COAL GROVE - The Village of Coal Grove is one step closer to seeing the Carlyle Tile "eyesore" removed thanks to a grant from the Ohio Department of Development.

The ODD awarded the village a Clean Ohio Assistance grant of $167,880, which will allow SRW Environmental Services Inc. of Cincinnati to conduct Phase 2 of an environmental assessment at the 23-acre site.

Phase 2 of the study includes soil and ground water tests to determine how much contamination is present on the property. It will determine how much money can be sought for Phase 3, which would include demolition of the five buildings, asbestos removal and environmental cleanup at the site, said Mark Rhinehart, president of SRW.

The study will look to determine how much volatile organic chemicals such as solvents, heavy metals, including lead, and petroleum products have been released into the ground, he said

A grant agreement will be sent to the village council within 30 days. The six-month Phase 2 study will begin after that, Rhinehart said.

Depending on the results, the village can then apply for up to $3 million for Phase 3. Rhinehart said the site has a lot of characteristics of projects the state is looking to fund, but it will partly depend on the economic development benefits and planned usage.

McGinnis, Inc. currently owns the property at 922 Pike Street. The company has used the property for storage since it purchased the land in 1999, but all those materials were removed about a year ago.

Russ Painter, regulatory affairs manager for McGinnis, said that this next step is certainly positive for the company and for the community.

"We have been playing with this thing for about two years," Painter said. "We are elated that we are finally moving forward with it."

Because the status of the building has long been up in the air, it is hard to make plans for future use of the property, but several ideas that have been discussed would be of an economic benefit to the community, he said.

Mayor Larry McDaniel said he would love to see a factory or something positive go in, but would just be happy to see any progress at the site.

"It has been an eyesore for years," he said. "I think the whole village would like to see it torn down."

This project was originally proposed in late 2002. SRW completed the Phase 1 testing last year, which allowed the company to prepare the application.

Former Mayor Tom McKnight was equally excited about the announcement because he had worked on getting the project completed for nearly two years.

"This is something we have always wanted - to get the eyesore removed. Hopefully, some type of industrial area or industrial park can be created there," said McKnight, who worked in the plant for about three years in the late 1950s. "For some of us old-timers, it will help replace the memories of all the lost of jobs."

Carlyle Tile opened in 1925 and shut down in 1978.

McKnight said the project would not be possible without the help of John Magill, assistant deputy director for the ODD's Office of Urban Development, Steve Rodabaugh with the ODD, the village council and everyone else involved.

"I wish council the best and will be willing to help any way I can, if the mayor asks," McKnight said. "… Politics are politics, but we have the village to be concerned about. If he needs me, I am here."

The ODD administers about $10 million in Clean Ohio Assistance Funds each year. The state also awards $50 million in Clean Ohio Revitalization Funds for restoring former industrial sites each year. Gov. Bob Taft created the program in 2000.

All together, four Ohio communities were awarded a total $1.5 million for environmental assessments. Celina, in Mercer County, was awarded $296,268, the city of Martins Ferry, in Belmont County, was awarded $205,430 and Cleveland was awarded $900,000.