SOLD — The former Newell Porcelain plant has been sold to a private developer who wants to clean up the 8-acre property and make it available for economic development. -- Stephen Huba

SOLD — The former Newell Porcelain plant has been sold to a private developer who wants to clean up the 8-acre property and make it available for economic development. — Stephen Huba

NEWELL — Another vestige of Hancock County’s ceramics past, one that has sat vacant for years, is being looked at for its economic development potential.

The former site of Newell Porcelain, on Harrison Street in Newell, has the attention of county and state officials now that a private developer has purchased the property.

Frank Six, founder of Haydall Redevelopment LLC, completed the acquisition in October and has big plans for the property. Six is co-owner of Six Recycling in East Liverpool, the general contractor on the 2012 cleanup of the old Taylor, Smith & Taylor pottery site in Chester.

“What I learned from the TS&T job was, you can turn an environmentally-hazardous site into a clean, economically-developed site by taking the right steps,” he said.

Construction of a 30,000-square-foot light manufacturing building began on the TS&T property in October, nearly four years after building demolition and asbestos remediation was completed.

Six foresees something similar unfolding with the Newell Porcelain property, although it’s unclear whether any demolition will be required.

“This site has a lot of similarities to (the TS&T) site. They used a lot of the same processes as they did at TS&T — the same components and materials,” he said. “I’m very familiar with everything that’s involved, and I thought it’s a great opportunity to use all the resources we have to turn this environmental liability into a clean industrial site.”

The eight-acre property has an estimated six acres, more than 300,000 square feet, under roof — including a 12,000-square-foot office building and 90,000 square feet of warehouse space.

“Our plan is to progressively get the good sections fixed up to where I can make them an income-generating property,” Six said.

In order to do that, Six needs to complete an environmental assessment that he began prior to consummating the purchase. A Phase I assessment, which has already been done, determines the level of the environmental hazard by checking records and conducting interviews.

A Phase II assessment, which is scheduled for February, takes a closer look through the studying of actual soil samples. As with the TS&T project, Six is working with the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

“We are working to assist the property owner with managing the environmental assessment, cleanup and liability,” said BDC Executive Director Patrick Ford. “We are also shedding light on the site for our prospects, particularly those that need rail access.”

Six said the Phase II assessment will help determine the cost of the cleanup and the grant funding that will be necessary.

“Since this facility was built, there has not been any proactive environmental cleanup of the asbestos or the ground contaminants. … All that was left behind was 300,000 square feet of negative-value materials — old wood, clay, garbage,” he said. “Our goal is to have a nice, clean industrial site that will be attractive for economic growth.”

The buildings stretch two city blocks, from Sixth Avenue to Fourth Avenue, and date back to 1913, when the Edwin M. Knowles China Co. began production in Newell. The original E.M.K. China Co. keystone is still visible above the main entrance to the two-story brick office building at Harrison Street and Fifth Avenue.

Production on Knowles China Co. dinnerware and other products continued through 1963. In 1966, the Ohio Brass Co. announced it was leasing the plant for the manufacture of porcelain insulators for electrical uses.

County and state records show the Newell Porcelain Co. was founded in 1988 and continued operations in Newell through 2005. In 2006, PSN Components, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., purchased Newell Porcelain and operated Newell-PSN LLC out of the Newell facility for a time. Newell-PSN LLC is now based in Columbiana, Ohio.

Six believes manufacturing at the Newell plant stopped around 2008, but that the warehouse was being used through 2014. Former officials with Newell Porcelain have indicated they will assist with the removal of drums, bottles, chemicals and potentially-hazardous liquids, Six said.

Six believes the timing is right for new economic development in Newell, especially with the building of the Shell ethane cracker plant in Monaca, Pa., and other signs of life in the upper Ohio River valley.

“With things coming … I just feel there’s a great opportunity to bring some sustainable jobs to this area,” he said. “It’s all around us. We’ve just got to make it happen here too.”

(Huba can be contacted at shuba@reviewonline.com)