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Last July, I was among those gathered in one of Cleveland-Cliffs' warehouses in the Half Moon Industrial Park when company CEO Lourenco Goncalves announced plans to bring an electric transformer production to the community.
We were only a few months removed from Goncalves announcing the decision to idle the tin mill - the last remnant of what had been Weirton Steel - and the knowledge that the remaining employees would be out of work.
It was incredibly warm in the warehouse, as one could imagine in the middle of summer, and we were waiting for then-governor Jim Justice to arrive. He was running late, while everyone else had gotten there early.
There hadn't been much major discussion of the project in the months since, but, during a visit this week by U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, who, as state treasurer worked to arrange a $50 million contribution toward the project from the State of West Virginia, officials with the United Steelworkers confirmed it is not only moving forward, but some of how it will be built.
First, the transformer facility will be located in the Half Moon Industrial Park.
That had been a point of some confusion when the project was first announced last year, as, while news reports and company officials indicated plans were focused on the use of facilities in Half Moon, some residents had the idea the tin mill would be used.
I can't tell you the number of times I would see posts on social media saying the transformer plant would help to bring the tin mill back to use.
Obviously, that's not the case and the fate of the tin mill itself will probably be unknown for some time.
The only thing we know for certain, based both on comments Goncalves said last year and what was said by USW 2911 President Mark Glyptis Wednesday afternoon, is that tin is not in the equation when it comes to Weirton.
As far as new information, it was interesting to hear that the company should be announcing a main contractor to oversee construction for the project in the coming weeks. While the plans include use of existing buildings, renovations will be needed.
There also are plans to bring back some of the local employees to perform some of the buildout work, relying on their existing skills instead of bringing in outside labor. I'm sure that will be nice for some of our residents to know they will have that opportunity, although I do also wonder how many actually are available to do so at this time.
It will still be at least a year before the transformer facility is operational, and there are a lot of moving parts and unknowns still floating around out there before the first unit comes off of the assembly line. Currently, it looks as if transportation plans are focused solely on the use of trucks, with the potential for 200 trucks a day, according to Glyptis.
That's a lot of traffic on Birch Drive, Freedom Way, Main Street, and other local thoroughfares. Hopefully, city and state officials take note of that and there are discussions on how best to address the issue.
I imagine there may also be some impact for other businesses in the industrial park. At one point, there was an association, of sorts, of the various Half Moon businesses. They met regularly to discuss any concerns they had, coordinate ways to help each other, and keep up on news. Perhaps a revival is due.
I'm sure more information will be coming out, on a variety of fronts, as this project pushes forward. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out and the effects it has on the community.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @CHowellWDT)