BROOKHAVEN — City Engineer Mike McKenzie of WGK Engineering said he has the final test results from an independent engineering firm’s inspection of the Stahl-Urban site. The tests were necessary to determine what the next best step was for cleaning up the rubble. 

Stahl-Urban was a textile manufacturer in Brookhaven for nearly 50 years. The main warehouse of the factory burned in February 2024. The Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s Office reported the cause of the fire was undetermined. Vagrants were living in the building but surveillance did not capture anyone outside the building. 

The building lost its historic building status with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History following the fire. City of Brookhaven owns the property although the City was looking for a developer to purchase the parcel. 

“We haven’t made a decision yet on how to deal with it. There were some hazardous materials found,” McKenzie said. “Asbestos siding was found. They are on some of the homes around town. Asbestos was found in window pane glazing and it was in the roofing glue that held the roofing membrane to the walls. In the grand scheme of things, the results were not surprising. The city has to make a decision on how to move forward.” 

A majority of the rubble is considered to be non-hazardous. Rubble cleanup will be an expensive project to tackle, McKenzie said. As for the asbestos materials, a disposal plan would have to be submitted to the MDEQ and once approved carried out to the MDEQ’s requirements. 

The asbestos materials do not pose any health risk to citizens at this time. McKenzie said the asbestos materials would be disposed of first and then the rest of the rubble would have to be cleaned up. 

“We need to talk through our plans. It will be a good expense and it is not something we have talked about a lot,” McKenzie said.