Wednesday, November 20, 2002
Officials are considering rehabilitating the property in several phases.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Pennsylvania officials have shown interest in helping a local economic development agency redevelop an old industrial site.
A meeting with officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development last week was promising for the rehabilitation of the former Rockwell International Plant, a 33-acre tract near Mahoningtown, said Lawrence County Commissioner Roger DeCarbo.
DeCarbo said state development officials toured the site and discussed the possibility of Lawrence County Economic Development Corp.'s purchasing the site with state money and making it available to businesses. The county is acting as an intermediary in the discussions, DeCarbo said.
Linda Nitch, executive director of the LCED, said state officials have told her agency there is money available from DCED and the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, the same pot of money financing part of New Castle's downtown redevelopment project.
Phases
Nitch said her agency is looking at the project and grant money coming in several phases. The first phase would be to purchase the property and buildings, she said.
The current owner is asking $2.6 million for the former industrial site, DeCarbo said.
Other phases would include separating power lines to enable smaller businesses to locate in the large facility, repairing the roof, razing portions of the building and refurbishing other parts and repairing nearby rail lines.
"The state is very interested in helping us. They want us to put a plan together," DeCarbo added.
Nitch said it could take several months for the project to come together.
The former Rockwell plant has been largely vacant since the company left the area in the mid-1990s. It is located on 33 acres off Industrial Street and has a 500,000-square-foot building.