Steel. That’s what most of know, and we are aware of how the industry operates, and unfortunately, how it feels when it shuts down.
And it did. Slowly. One by one, or at least that’s how it felt, but in the end the Steubenville, Mingo Junction, Beach Bottom, Yorkville, and Martins Ferry plants shuttered and the coke plant in Follansbee was sold off in bankruptcy proceedings following the initial filing in mid-2012.
Steelworker representatives fought hard for health care and pension retention, but it was over, and we all knew it, and the local economy felt it. The jobs lost were living-wage positions that allowed for mothers to stay home with the kids, and those opportunities have yet to be replaced.
Until now … maybe … and that’s a “maybe” that has been in place for nearly five years. PITT Global America has taken all steps except the big one, and that is announcing that the corporation, along with business partner Daelim Construction, is moving forward with building a $10 billion petrochemical “cracker plant” in lower Dilles Bottom.
Kathryn Thalman knows the situation but is steadfast in her belief that industry larger than the frack work and pipeline installation that has taken place here for the past decade is on its way, and as soon as she is sworn in on Jan. 2 as the new mayor of St. Clairsville, she plans to propose a change in direction.
There could be more than 6,000 construction jobs created. There might be 700 full-time positions once things are operational. Plastic manufacturers possibly may build ancillary factories in upper Dilles and across the Ohio River, maybe even where the Moundsville Country Golf Course rests today.
The point is, no one knows for sure, and if some folks do, they ain’t talking. Members of the local trades have heard President Donald Trump is expected to return to the region next month to assist with the official announcement, but corporation officials have remained silent when asked.
An industrial reinvention is what could take place, and there are people who are praying for it to happen and others who are on the other end of the issue.
Politics to Change in St. Clairsville
Thalman ran for the position because she disagreed with the possible sale of the city’s water department, but since elected in November she has broadened her perspective thanks to conversations with commissioners, civic leaders, residents, and business owners.
“Business friendly” is the attitude transition Thalman hopes to usher in because, as she and many others believe, it is a mindset that could benefit the municipality for years to come if codes and ordinances are examined and re-sculpted to address current-day issues and needs instead of those from the past. In most cities in the Upper Ohio Valley, rules are on the books that no longer apply in relation to residential and commercial zoning, traffic patterns, and rental properties, and Thalman believes that to be the case in St. Clairsville.
