In January as heavy equipment started knocking down structures, Middletown Mayor Elizabeth Slamka told the Journal-News she saw the site as full of “possibilities and potential,” and she looked forward to its future.
In October last year, Middletown City Council authorized City Manager Paul Lolli to enter into an agreement with Renascent Inc. to provide the professional demolition services at a cost of $2.27 million. The work is covered by a $3 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant the city received from the Butler County Commissioners.
Bids for the work varied widely, from $2.27 million to $5.49 million, according to city records. The city’s Volunteer Action Program manager, Burgess and Niple, Inc., assisted city staff in the bidding process.
On Jan. 1, 2020, a homeless man staying inside the building lit a fire to stay warm. Joshua Lamb, then 38, reportedly left to get more wood for the fire, but it spread to his bedding, he told police. Lamb, who had multiple arrest warrants then, fled the scene.
Multiple fire departments responded to the scene to provide mutual aid, and smoke could be seen from miles away.
Officials called it one of the city’s most extensive and expensive fires.
Lamb was arrested a day later on charges of arson, a fourth-degree felony, and aggravated arson, a second-degree felony. Lamb pleaded guilty to arson, and he was sentenced to five years of community control. The aggravated arson charge was dismissed.
The plant had been closed about 20 years before the fire.