Ohio EPA helps fund C&D debris cleanup at former Crest Rubber Co. site

Ohio EPA Director Anne M. Vogel announced Jan. 13 that the agency will provide $1.1 million from its Environmental Protection Remediation Fund to clear construction and demolition (C&D) debris from the site of the former Crest Rubber Co. on South Chestnut St. in Ravenna, Ohio, so the "dangerous eyesore" can be redeveloped.

The project is a collaborative effort between Ohio EPA, the city of Ravenna and the Akron Regional Air Quality Management District.

A video from an Ohio EPA news conference at the site announcing the finding is available here.

Operations at the manufacturing facility ceased in 2015, and the property was vacated, eventually becoming a nuisance to the community. The city of Ravenna obtained consent from the Portage County Common Pleas Court in 2022 to condemn and demolish the deteriorating buildings as no responsible owner could be found to address the site’s conditions. While progress has been made, an estimated 6,600 tons of C&D debris, including nonfriable asbestos-containing floor adhesive, remain at the 2-acre site.

Ohio EPA will have contractors remove the materials, which will be disposed of at Minerva Enterprises landfill in Waynesburg, Ohio.

Among those companies working to clean up the site is Pittsburgh-based Liberty Tire Recycling, which will remove and dispose of rubble and other solid waste. Liberty Tire Recycling has three facilities in Ohio and more than two decades of experience working with the Ohio EPA to remediate illegal dumping sites throughout the state.

“We're proud to be working with the Ohio EPA to successfully clean up the old Oak Rubber factory site in Ravenna,” says Thomas Elder, regional vice president for Liberty Tire Recycling. “This project exemplifies our shared commitment to responsible environmental stewardship and community improvement.

“The Ohio EPA has been the leader in the management of scrap tires, and it comes as no surprise they are making it a priority to clean up communities in Ohio."

“Making Ohio communities safer is a top priority for Gov. [Mike] DeWine,” Vogel says. “The Ohio EPA has the expertise and resources to help local municipalities clean up dangerous illegal dumping sites around the state, and it is exciting to see Ravenna return this long-neglected property into a valuable asset for the community.”

“Smaller communities are vital to regional and state economic growth,” Ravenna Mayor Frank Seman says. “However, it becomes challenging for a small community to compete against the larger metropolitan areas not only for business attraction and expansion but also viable funding mechanisms. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency became that hope for this small Portage County community, providing the resources necessary to clean this blighted property.”

The cleanup is estimated to take 60 days.