ONTARIO — Ontario City Council ditched its regular meeting location inside the city’s municipal building Wednesday night for a different venue, Ontario Commerce Park.
During a 90-minute economic development committee meeting, Mayor Randy Hutchinson led council members around the 267-acre Fourth Street property, pointing out where water and sewer lines could be run, what cleanup was ahead and which structures should be kept or demolished.
“I think it was a very valuable thing because when we talk about things here … in their mind now they can visualize (it),” Hutchinson said, “(like) when we talk about a sewer line going over here. Because when we talked about putting in a sewer line before, it was, ‘What and where’s that going?’
“There’s a lot of work we have to do, but being able to see it, when I say, we got a price to do this, now they’re going, ‘Yeah, I know where that’s going.’”
The Buildings
While showing council around Ontario Commerce Park, Mayor Hutchinson pointed out two buildings that will remain standing.
These include General Motors’ former ‘press prep’ building and a nearby structure that will likely be turned into the property’s maintenance building.
Hutchinson called the ‘press prep’ building, once used by GM for stamping preparation, “quite a commodity.” He recalled how the former developers considered demolishing the structure. and he and councilman Mark Weidemyre “begged” them keep it.
Barrett Thomas, economic development director for the Richland Area Chamber and Economic Development, attended the meeting at Hutchinson’s request. He echoed the mayor’s sentiments.
“This building is a great asset. We have very few buildings in the county with ceilings this tall, which is a big deal when you’re doing logistics with manufacturing. Having clear ceiling heights is really important,” Thomas said.
Though empty and without utilities, the building has potential, he continued, especially with its 38-foot ceilings. He urged council to consider funding options to enhance the structure.
“It’s a shell and a lot more has to happen, but this is a good building here,” Thomas said.
Another building, located only a short distance away, needs some attention, too, but once cleaned up, Ontario’s mayor and service safety director Jeff Wilson intend to keep it as the property’s maintenance building. It might be used to store lawn mowers and other equipment.
A smaller building, also near the ‘press prep’ building and very near the possible maintenance building, is expected to be razed. It’s rubble will likely be used to fill in its basement, the mayor said, and the space will be leveled.
The Pit that Looks Like a Lake
When council members saw the pit, most reacted the same way.
“That’s a lake,” one said. “You could probably take a pontoon out there.”
Another noticed an “island out there with just about 100 seagulls.”
Hutchinson estimated the pit holds about 5 to 8 feet of water, and in the winter, it has maybe 6 to 8 inches.
“The water believe it or not is pretty clear,” Hutchinson said.
Thomas explained the pit could be drained, but he wondered if it could be turned from a negative into a positive feature on the property.
“It could be a really cool centerpiece to an industrial park … there’s nothing like this because no one in their right mind would intentionally do this, but when you’ve got this much pit, why not make it an asset,” Thomas said.
Another area — a much smaller space — on the former GM property will be leveled off by using other rubble as fill. This space, positioned relatively near Stumbo Road, will then be covered with several feet of dirt, which Hutchinson said, is required.
That dirt should be available elsewhere on the property, too.
What to do with the concrete slabs
Ontario Commerce Park features plenty of concrete slabs, and with some further assessments, city officials hope to confirm what they already believe: that the concrete can be built upon.
Thomas explained that any company that considers the property for a building will likely do it’s own testing, But to determine the property’s potential, Thomas believes an assessment is worthwhile.
“It will determine, can you build on the slab? Yes or no? And if yes, then what types of buildings can you put (there),” he said.
The Road Ahead
The road ahead isn’t an easy or a short path. Hutchinson realizes this, but he’s optimistic.
He’d like to see the property cleaned up by “the time winter sets in.”
“A lot of this clean up should be done. It’s not going to happen overnight. There’s a lot to clean up and brush to cut down,” Hutchinson said.
The city also needs to continue its conversations about utilities, including power, water and sewer. And having seen the property, Hutchinson hopes council will be able to make further and better decisions about Ontario Commerce Park as early as the next economic development committee meeting, scheduled for June 19.
This one will be back at council’s chambers, 555 Stumbo Rd.
