Staff Photo by Dan Henry/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Les Coffee, owner of the Peerless Mill in Rossville, recently requested a permit to demolish the 85-year-old mill. Coffee has owned the mill for five years and currently only has nearly 20 percent filled with tenants.The 105-year history of the Peerless Mill in Rossville will end with a wrecking ball and the site will take on a new life as a scrap yard.
Peerless owner Les Coffey purchased a demolition permit Monday morning and said he plans to level the 27-acre site, sell the scrap he can and run a scrap yard and waste transfer station.
“Everybody I’ve spoken to is very disappointed,” said Coffey, who added that his phone was flooded with messages after the news broke. “It’s just time to move on. We can’t keep pouring money in to prop the project up.”
Crews began taking down lights Monday, and all of the demolition will be finished by Dec. 31, he said.
In a news release issued Monday, Coffey noted that all current tenants will be allowed to stay until their leases are up and the Prater’s Flooring building would remain up and running.