Peanut oil mill’s demolition halted

Ed Vaughn wants some answers from the Golden Peanut Co. before he’ll give the company his blessing to tear down an abandoned peanut mill across from his house on Newton Street.

Earlier this month, contractors hired by the Golden Peanut Co. began demolishing the old Dothan Oil Mill Co. buildings on Newton Street. The company had permits from the city to demolish the buildings, but had not gotten approval from the Dothan Historic Preservation Commission, which has authority over the area where the buildings are located. In the interest of public safety, the city allowed the company to finish the work it had begun, but the Golden Peanut Co. must go before the Historic Preservation Commission on Friday before it can do any additional demolition work.

Vaughn, a member of the commission, said he has concerns about the environmental impact of tearing down the facility, which he described as a toxic waste dump. Vaughn said he’s concerned the demolition of the building will release hexane into the ground and air. He also has concerns about what the company will build in its place.

“We work so hard to keep that neighborhood from becoming a slum,” he said.

Bob Parker, Golden Peanut Co. vice president for procurement, said the company is tearing down the building because high scrap steel prices will allow the company to recoup much of the cost involved. Parker said the property has been listed for sale for years, but the presence of the buildings have hindered the property’s marketability.

Parker said some small remnants of hexane may present at the property, but the contractor the company has hired to demolish the buildings is capable of handling and disposing of the chemical.

Hexane is used in the extraction of peanut oil. Parker said peanut oil had not been produced at the Newton Street site in more than a decade, and that Golden Peanut Co. had primarily used the site as a peanut storage facility.