Looks like the blighted and abandoned Pilgrim’s Pride chicken plant in Athens will be headed for cleanup and improvements.

A majority of City Council members have told The News Courier they are fine with the $1.2 million estimate to buy, remove asbestos and demolish the property off Pryor Street. Plans are to use the property as green space, mix-used development or both.

“I’m gonna be good with that,” said Harold Wales, District 2 council president pro tem told The News Courier Tuesday. “I want to see that cleaned up and be a part of town we can all be proud of. The only way is to do that is to buy the property and clean it up. Otherwise, it will go on for generations.”

Council members learned during their regular meeting Monday the total cost of purchase and cleanup would be $1,177,300, according to city estimates. Here is a breakdown of the estimate:

• Price of property — $550,000;

• Demolition and building removal — $499,000;

• Asbestos abatement — $87,500;

• Asbestos inspection by Terrell Technical Services — $10,000;

• Asbestos material survey by Terrell — $9,800;

• Asbestos management services by Terrell — $8,500;

• Morell Engineering land survey — $7,500; and

• Closing costs estimate — $5,000.

If the council takes no action, the property purchase goes ahead. If they want to back out of the purchase because estimated cleanup and demolition costs prove too expensive, they have until Monday, Dec. 11, to approve a resolution. The closing date is Dec. 29.

The following councilmen said Tuesday they were ready to buy the property and proceed with cleanup and demolition, probably starting this spring: Wales, District 3 Councilman Frank Travis, District 4 Councilman Joseph Cannon and District 5 Councilman Wayne Harper. District 1 Council President Chris Seibert could not attend the meeting due to a family matter. However, Wales said Seibert was in step with the rest of the council on the issue.

Wales said the estimate was close to what Mayor Ronnie Marks and building inspector Bert Bradford projected early on.

Travis told The News Courier, “There is nothing in the report that makes me reluctant to support it. The cost or removal was not as exorbitant as we thought. We are gonna be very much in line with estimates.”

He said the city need only buy the property right now. It won’t have to pay for asbestos removal and demolition until spring or later.

Harper said he hoped the cost would be “a little less,” but he also said, “I guess I’m OK with that.”

He said he is concerned about other projects on the city’s horizon, including a proposed new recreation center and infrastructure.

“I’m worried about us getting overextended,” he said. “We’re in pretty good financial shape, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Cannon said he was surprised by the low estimate for the property and cleanup.

“It was very shocking to me that we will be able to clean up that eyesore for that amount,” he said. “I was really surprised that the total amount was an amount that I was preparing myself just for the cleanup. If you count the future development there and the development that will already come from the high probability that the buildings will be removed in the near future, it definitely makes it worth it. I’ve never been a fan of the city getting into the land business, but the $1.2 million and the return on the investment the taxpayer stands to get from it, call it the city-getting-into-the-removal-of-blighted-property business.”