The public debate over the planned demolition of the former Frog Switch Manufacturing buildings deserves a clear and honest accounting of what those structures actually contain, and what it would cost, in money and in risk to this community, to preserve them.
In July 2025, a fire broke out in the Frog Shop building. Following that event, Carlisle’s Fire Chief personally toured the site and made a determination that the buildings are not safe for first responders to enter. Those buildings are now posted accordingly. If a fire were to occur tomorrow, our firefighters could not go in. That fact alone should anchor this conversation.
It does not stand alone, however. A Hazardous Building Materials Survey, commissioned by the U.S. EPA’s Office of Brownfields, documented significant levels of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in the roofing tiles of the two main manufacturing buildings. As the roof continues to deteriorate there is an increasing risk of releasing ACM to the environment making this a health and safety issue. Lead-based paint surfaces were identified throughout the structures as well.
Beneath the buildings, the picture is equally sobering. The foundry floors and pits are filled with sand contaminated with manganese and petroleum, documented environmental hazards that must be remediated regardless of what happens to the structures above.
Some have suggested adaptive reuse of these buildings as an alternative to demolition. That suggestion, however sincere, does not survive contact with the financial reality. Removing hazardous materials while preserving the building structure costs approximately three times more than removal during demolition and adds an increased element of danger to the site workers removing the ACM. Installing a new roof on the Frog Shop building, required if the asbestos-containing roofing is removed while the structure is preserved, is estimated to exceed $10 million. None of that cost is included in the nearly $13 million in public and grant funding that The Real Estate Collaborative (REC), a subsidiary of CAEDC, has assembled over two years to redevelop this site.
That funding, drawn from federal and state sources specifically designated for brownfield remediation, was assembled based on a redevelopment plan that has been public and consistent since REC signed a letter of intent in August 2023. The Borough of Carlisle provided letters of support for every funding application that described this plan, including demolition.
In January 2026, the Borough enacted a revised demolition ordinance, without waiting for the environmental reports that confirmed these hazards, and without conducting the community outreach that state funding was allocated to support. The residents most directly affected by this decision, those living in the immediate vicinity of the site, have never been formally asked by the Borough for their input. However, at a May 2025 public meeting, the Borough did receive comments from a Frog Switch neighborhood resident expressing their desire to have the site finally cleared away from their home.
The Frog Switch site can become something meaningful for Carlisle. A federally supported reuse study envisions a mixed-use development that generates jobs, tax revenue, and community assets in the eastern gateway of our borough. That future is within reach, but only if we are honest about what stands in the way, and only if we allow the remediation process to proceed on a sound scientific and financial basis.
The buildings are not safe to enter. The continued deterioration of the roof presents a safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately. The ground is contaminated. Demolition is not a choice made in spite of this community’s heritage. It is a choice made because of this community’s health and safety.
Original article: https://cumberlink.com/opinion/editorial/article_7a6adcaa-a13f-496b-be44-a91e4e0da983.html
