The city of Canton is pressing Republic Steel to maintain its deteriorating former mill site on Eighth Street NE, after city departments executed an administrative search warrant at the property on October 15 and found conditions the city says may violate local codes, The Repository reported Tuesday, citing a city news release.
According to The Repository’s reporting on the city’s release, Canton’s building and code, health, fire and zoning departments will complete a report based on what the search found, and the city will then issue citations for any violations it identifies. The city said it is reviewing the findings in order to “pursue appropriate measures to ensure compliance,” the release stated, as reported by The Repository.
The plant has been closed since August 2023, when Grupo Simec, the Mexico-based owner of Republic Steel, shuttered the Canton mill and its other U.S. operations, citing “competitive market pricing and decreased demand” along with increased costs, The Repository reported. The company has failed to provide the city with “meaningful information” about its plans, maintenance or any resumption of operations, according to the city news release cited by The Repository, and Republic Steel is also delinquent on nearly $2 million in property taxes associated with the site.
“We’re trying to make sure that they’re engaged with us and make sure they’re actually expending resources into maintaining that property,” Economic Development Director Peter Zahirsky told The Repository.
The site’s environmental history is part of the city’s concern. While it was operating, Republic Steel settled air pollution violations at the Canton plant, and in March 2023 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified a two-mile radius around the plant as an area of concern for lead air quality standards, The Repository reported. Given that history and previous environmental violations, Communications Director Christian Turner said compliance is especially important, according to The Repository.
There are signs the company may be weighing a future for the property. The city received information suggesting Republic Steel might be considering new uses for the former plant, including exploring the restoration of electrical service to the property, according to the news release reported by The Repository. An August 13 letter from an attorney representing Republic Engineered Products Inc. asked the city for the site’s zoning confirmation for potential uses including manufacturing, warehouses, research facilities and data centers, The Repository reported; the attorney could not be reached for comment.
“The position of my administration is clear,” Canton Mayor William V. Sherer II said in the city’s news release, as reported by The Repository. “Republic Steel has a responsibility to maintain its facility and work with the City to determine what comes next. We cannot allow one of Canton’s largest industrial properties to sit vacant and continue to deteriorate indefinitely without a clear plan for the future.”
What happens next runs through the city’s own process: the departmental report comes first, then any citations, while Canton waits for the company to engage on maintenance and a plan for one of its largest industrial properties.
Photo: The Frank T. Bow Federal Building in downtown Canton. Photo: Niagara66, CC BY-SA