After a fire destroyed the former Moser Leather Company tannery, part of a larger parcel of land owned by the city for two years, plans for the Ohio River Greenway will proceed.
"We hate to lose those types of structures, right? But when they're gone, they're gone," New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan said. Gahan was part of the crowd that formed outside the former Moser Leather Company on Saturday night as the building burned to the ground.
The fire department are still investigating the cause of the fire at the former tannery, while the city plans to use the land as an entrance to the Ohio River Greenway project.
“The debris will be removed and this will serve as the entrance to Loop Island. That's the plan right now. It'll be spruced up a little bit," Mayor Gahan said.
That Greenway project is close to completion, creating trails that connect the downtown across Silver Creek, stretching further from there.
Gahan said the city was taking requests for proposals, to see if anyone was interested in restoring the tannery. For now, the city will look to make this area a greenspace but he said they will continue accepting proposals to see if someone now wants to build something new in the spot.
