The Limestone County Commission is working at the site of the old L&S Grocery shopping center to clear remaining debris. District 4 Commissioner Ben Harrison said he expects the job to be complete Christmas week.  

In 2012, the Limestone County Commission purchased property on North Jefferson Street that housed a vacated grocery store and shopping center.

After four years of discussion and debate, the site is now being cleared of its remaining debris.

Earlier this month District 4 Commissioner Ben Harrison announced he was making preparations to clear the space of cinder blocks, tile and concrete slabs left over from the demolition of the shopping center.

Harrison told The News Courier on Friday that equipment was now in place and work had officially started on scraping the site. The commissioner said his crew is collecting bricks, cinder blocks, tile and concrete pieces and hauling the rubbish to a landfill in Decatur.

He’s also seeking permission to break up a large cement slab left over from the grocery store, which contains old pipes. Clearing that away will make the property completely flat, Harrison said.

In 2014, the commission faced fines from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for improper disposal of materials from the L&S site onto a West Limestone farmer’s property.

The commission settled with ADEM to pay a $5,500 fine for the infraction and Harrison moved that debris to the same Morgan County landfill where he will haul the remaining clutter.

Commissioners said this month they were concerned the remaining cinder blocks and litter would be a hazard for pedestrians and aesthetically displeasing to passersby. Members voted to pay for the debris clean-up from the Public Building Fund since it was not feasible to use money from the gas tax fund, Harrison said.

The future of the lot is unclear, but local companies are currently using the space as a parking lot for tractor trailers and other commercial trucks, which the commission has no problem with, Harrison said.