Demolition of foundry scheduled to restart soon despite fears of locals.
Neighbors of a 175-year-old Easton foundry being dismantled two weeks ago were relieved when the state Department of Environmental Protection stepped in and stopped work crews after thick black soot blanketed cars, homes, and yards.
It turned out neither the property owner nor the demolition company had secured required demolition permits from the state.
The shutdown has bought the neighborhood a temporary reprieve, but area residents and business owners say they remain wary because once the permits are issued, expected in the next few days, demolition of the former Belcher Malleable Iron Co. will resume.
“I’m still nervous,” said Maria Botelho, a foundry neighbor since 1991. “I want to believe that this time it will be done right, but I have my doubts.”
The foundry operated from 1837 until 2007 when it was shut down by Advanced Metals Group, a Pennsylvania company that had purchased it four years earlier.
Botelho said she used to refer to it as “Nightmare on Foundry Street” when it was operating. While she was happy to see it close, she said she grew concerned when it became a graffiti-covered eyesore and a magnet for metal scavengers.
On July 10, Botelho had no inkling the foundry’s dismantling would begin.
“I went outside and I couldn’t believe my eyes,” she said. “When they tore down the hopper, there was a black cloud. I wondered how the town could even allow this.”
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