An employee of Sereday’s of Masury, operating an excavator, moves demolition material from the former Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage.
There’s always a certain amount of curiosity when a demolition crew works, but Roseann Sereday said she has never seen the amount of onlookers before as she has with the demolition of the Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage.
“You wouldn’t believe the people that sit up there and view it,” said the co-owner of Sereday’s in Masury. “There are people all the time watching.”
Sereday’s was awarded the $2 million demolition contract by developer Flicore of Pepper Pike, Ohio, which has unveiled plans for new restaurants and shops at the site.
Sereday’s has taken on many large demolition projects over the years, from a mill in New Castle and the former Reznor plant in Mercer to the former bank building in downtown Sharon. The mall demolition has been going smoothly, Sereday said Jan. 27, other than the snow adding extra tonnage to the material when it is taken to a landfill.
The excavator operators had worked around the former JC Penney portion of the mall because it is the tallest section at four stories and the top floor contains lots of mechanical apparatus, Sereday said. That changed when a larger excavator was brought in the last week of January.
“It’s full of conveyors and big boilers and generators and motors,” Sereday said of the fourth floor. “Really a lot of stuff that has to be separated and done carefully.”
The mall has meant a lot to a lot of people, Sereday said. “It meant a lot to me because we always went to the mall.”
However, any sadness is tempered with enthusiasm for what’s to come, she said.
“We always look at it as an improvement,” she said. “Malls are, I think, going by the wayside.”
The Shenango Valley Mall’s financial viability had been declining for years and the building needed major roof work, she said. Plus, many stores and restaurants want a specific look they can’t get by being located in a mall, she said. Sereday said she is looking forward to seeing the green space that will be opened by the new development.
“It is really going to turn into a nice property, when they are done,” she said. “It’s gonna be beautiful.”
Sereday’s will mark its 42nd anniversary on April 30, the product of Roseann and her husband, Rich, and Roseann is proud of the reputation they have built up over that time.
“People know the quality of work we do,” she said. “We get it done on time.”
Their sons Rich Jr. and Ryan are now key members of the business. As a quartet, they decide what jobs to bid on. If they are awarded the contract, Rich Jr. and Ryan are the main equipment operators and Rich Sr. oversees the project, working as an equipment operator when needed.
Although the Seredays like getting the big jobs, they still do smaller jobs, such as housing demolitions in Sharon, Farrell and Hermitage, Roseann said.
“We bid on what comes,” she said.
Although Roseann and Rich Sr. have no plans to retire, “We’re slowly letting the boys take over,” Roseann said.
“We’re so proud of them,” she said.
Other services Sereday’s offers include roll-off garbage containers, concrete crushing and large truck hauling.
