MARTINS FERRY — State officials opened the Austin Master Services LLC facility in Martins Ferry on Tuesday, allowing one contractor to begin work at the site while others participated in a pre-bid walk-through.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil and Gas Resources announced Monday that it would begin to remove oilfield waste products from the building on Tuesday. The action came after Austin Master and its CEO, Brad J. Domitrovitsch, failed to meet a court-ordered deadline of July 22 to bring the amount of waste held there into compliance with the limits of its operating permit.

Steve Stone, an employee of McKeen Security Inc., was stationed outside the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel mill on Tuesday afternoon. Security guards have been keeping an eye on the property in this fashion ever since it ceased operations in March. Stone said about 30 vehicles were present early Tuesday as contractors prepared to place bids to perform the cleanup work. He said he believes work to remove waste will begin in earnest next week.

City Service and Safety Director Andy Sutak said he had heard similar reports regarding activity at the site on Tuesday. His understanding was that a bid process was underway and that timelines for bringing in workers and equipment were established.

Karina Cheung, ODNR spokesperson, confirmed that contractors had the opportunity to inspect the site Tuesday and that ODNR is moving toward removal of the waste held there. Austin Master’s permit allowed it to store up to 600 tons of waste from oil and gas drilling operations. ODNR inspectors have estimated that more than 10,000 tons of waste are being held there and that it is not being properly stored in approved containment areas.

“There is a contractor on site, who is already under a state contract,” Cheung said via email Tuesday. “Phase one of the clean up began today with that contractor who was at the Austin Master Services facility until approximately 3:30 p.m. We expect this first phase to be complete in approximately three weeks. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Oil & Gas Resources Management is accepting bids for the second phase of the waste removal and for restoration of the site. Approximately 20 contractors attended a pre-bid walkthrough for this additional contract today.”

According to Cheung, it will take less than a year for the work to be completed.

“Again, we have one contractor mobilized now. Once the second contract is finalized, the additional work must be completed within 9 months of that contract,” she wrote.

No information was immediately available Tuesday regarding what the different phases of work will include. It also was not yet clear what the cleanup would cost or how the work would be funded, though ODNR has stressed that “under no circumstances will the City of Martins Ferry and local residents be responsible for the cost of cleanup.”