A decent amount of economic development is taking place right now in the Upper Ohio Valley, especially for this time of year, but it’s what could be coming to the region that has IBEW Local 141 Doug Giffin intrigued.
With several projects under way at this time, the majority of local IBEW members are working on both sides of the Ohio River and as far north as Beaver County, Pa.
“But, right now, we’re just OK with economic development here in the Valley as far as major development is concerned,” Giffin said. “Of course, we have some working on the road construction, and I’m seeing some movement in the Bellaire area, too, with a couple of new restaurants popping up.
“The Highlands, of course, is crazy with new development that has put a lot of people to work,” he said. “There is the Menard’s project and the athletic complex project where a lot of people are working. The Taco Bell opened, and the Chick-fil-A should be opening pretty soon.”
Giffin’s electricians also have been involved with a high number of projects involving the gas and oil industries, but while the drillers and frackers can continue during the winter months, pipeline construction ceases when the temperatures dip into the 30s.
“There are a few gas and oil jobs taking place right now, and there are more to come in the spring that we already know about,” Giffin reported. “Now, the pipelining has slowed down, but that’s pretty common at this time of year. It’s pretty difficult to install pipelines properly in the kind of weather we typically get in December, January, and February, and sometimes even in March.
“I know when those companies first came into this area, they thought they would be dealing with the same kind of terrain they’ve experienced in other parts of the country, so that’s why they’ve had a tough time working around here in the winter,” he continued. “They didn’t expect the rolling hills all over the place, and that’s why we have seen some ruptures in the past, but they have learned, and now they know shutting down after Thanksgiving is the best thing to do.”
As far as guaranteed work for years, local labor, business owners, and elected officials have been anticipating an announcement from PTT Global America. The problem, however, is the good word from the Thailand-based corporation has been delayed three times during the past couple of years.
Giffin, though, has heard the construction’s confirmation may be offered in the coming months.
“I have followed the cracker construction in Beaver County very closely since we have some IBEW members working up there, and as of right now, we’re ahead of where they were as far as the earthwork and the permit processing is concerned,” Giffin said. “They didn’t announce the financial commitment to build it up there for a year after they received all of the permits, and it hasn’t been a year yet in Dilles Bottom in Belmont County.
“Now, the rumor we are hearing is that the President (Trump) will return to the state of Ohio in January as a part of his re-election campaign to make an announcement that the state is moving forward with the largest economic development project in the history of the state,” he said. “That’s what we are hearing from people in the know, and we’re all very anxious for that announcement because of the jobs it would bring to this region.”
If the insider information received holds true, the petrochemical company would construct a natural gas separation plant, or a “cracker,” at a cost of more than $10 billion, and Giffin has contemplated the changes the public would see, like more laydown yards, the development of small industry, parking lots for construction workers, and something of a rebirth of the city of Moundsville.
“I do believe we’ll see Moundsville really take off in the future, and from there, I think they will see some changes in Shadyside and in Bellaire, too,” he said. “We’ll see some new businesses in those areas, and there will be a need for housing, too, but building a cracker plant is not a quick process. It’s going to take more than a few years before that plant is operational.
“But it’s never a good thing when an area grows way too quickly, and as long as PTT moves forward with this plant, we will likely see issues with some projects, and we’ll definitely have issues with housing,” Giffin explained. “And there will be differences again when it comes to rental properties because those owners will want to make the money while they can, and we will see a lot more traffic in the entire area.”
Although much of the materials needed to construct a cracker plant most likely would be delivered via barge or rail, the IBEW Local 141 president worries, too, about the success of the Interstate 70 bridge projects. At this time, the 26 bridge and ramp projects are expected to consume three years.
“I am hoping everything goes smoothly with all of those bridge projects along I-70 because when the construction of the cracker is in full-swing, we’re going to need the interstate to be in a better state than what it is now,” he said. “As long as the company (Swank) meets the deadlines, we could be OK, because there will be truckloads of materials going in and out of that site in Dilles Bottom. There will be a lot more activity that we are not used to in the Valley.”
The purchases of vacant lots and older, delipidated buildings and homes also is something Giffin expects to take place, as well as the construction of new plaza and housing developments.
“And once this plant is complete, I think the view of this Valley will change, and I think the people who live here will be happier about living here,” he said. “When there are jobs for the kids coming out of high school who don’t want to go to college, they won’t have to leave home to set up the next stage of their lives. That’s my hope.
“It will be inevitable that there will be workers coming in from outside the area to fill some of the positions the local trades can’t, but we’re hoping by working with our local school systems we can attract more of those graduates to the IBEW,” Giffin added. “Those jobs will have a good wage attached to them, and that should be pretty attractive to the young people who want to remain here in the Valley and make their home here.”
