HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- The city of Hagerstown is going ahead with a plan to clean up and demolish an old electrical plant tainted with toxic chemicals on the bank of Antietam Creek.

The Herald-Mail reports that the City Council unanimously approved a deal Tuesday with the owner of the former Municipal Electric Light Plant.

The city will pay the Partners Marketing group $650,000. The sum includes $400,000 to buy the 86-year-old building and $250,000 help cover the costs of removing toxic PCBs and asbestos.

The group bought the building from its previous owner for a dollar in 1994.

Mayor David Gysberts says the building has been a public safety hazard and environmental threat for decades. It ceased continuous operations in 1972.
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