Performance Agreement reached on Beacon Mill in Westminster

Since the Beacon Mill closed production in 2009 and its subsequent partial demolition, and reclamation of salvage materials, the site has been a blight for the City and its residences, especially for those who are living in the historic mill village. The City has been working with the owner, Pacific International Overseas, Inc., and the tenant, Coker Textiles, LLC, to remediate the nuisance caused by the demolition debris. Recently the owner and tenant have agreed to post a performance bond for the satisfactory closure of the demolition permit. The principals presented a proposal from a Westminster company, Thrift Forestry and Construction, for the cleanup of the demolition site at the former Beacon Mill site and the City has received a cash bond in an amount equal to 150% of the contract value. If the owners fail to clean the site per the agreement, the City will use it to clean up the site. “While there has been effort in the SC Legislature to improve local governments’ ability to address this type of nuisance with the Dilapidated Buildings Act, the act has not yet passed and it remains difficult to compel the cleanup of sites like this without the burden of the expense falling on the taxpayer,” said Jeff Lord, Westminster City Administrator. “With the performance bond, the owner has given the City the ability to finish the job if they do not and it won’t fall to the City’s taxpayers to pay for it.” The performance agreement, bond, and cleanup are the first steps on the path toward occupancy, which is the intent of the owner and tenant. They will be given clearance to pull permits at Oconee County Community Development, Building Codes Division for demolition site cleanup, and final inspection of one of the buildings on the site and the rehabilitation remaining buildings with satisfactory progress toward cleanup. Certificates of Occupancy, except for the first building, will not be authorized until the satisfactory final inspection of first the demolition site and then subsequent permitting and repair of the remaining buildings. “I’m sure everyone would agree that we are happy to see something good happening out there,” said Mayor Rick McCormick. “It has been an important goal of City Council to address this nuisance and this is a step in the right direction. We are also pleased to see that they have selected a local contractor whom we know will do an excellent job.”