PENNSYLVANIA High upkeep costs put kilns' future in question

The product the kilns produced was used in many important structures.
COPLAY, Pa. (AP) -- Century-old kilns once owned by the first American producer of Portland cement might be torn down because the county in charge of their upkeep says it can no longer afford to maintain them.
Operating from 1892 to 1904, the nine kilns in Lehigh County's Saylor Park were owned by a company whose cement found its way into the Lincoln Memorial, Shea Stadium, Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Railroad station and other important structures.
The county wants to demolish five of the structures instead of refurbishing them at a cost of at least $300,000, said Richard Klotz, Lehigh County director of administration. It also wants to transfer ownership of Saylor Park to Coplay Borough.
"We do not have the money to restore what's there now," said Klotz, who planned to present the county's proposal to Coplay council tonight.
About the kilns
The 60-foot kilns were co-owned by David Saylor, credited with being the first American producer of Portland cement, a high-quality brand that later became a key ingredient in concrete and mortar.
The kilns turned rocks into a substance called clinker, which was ground into cement powder, said Sarah Thayer, educational curator for the Lehigh County Historical Society.
Four years ago, the county secured $329,400 to stop the kilns' decay, including $100,000 from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. But the commission offered only $72,500 in this round of funding, and the county declined to accept the grant, saying it couldn't afford to pay the rest of the cost, Klotz said.
Borough Council President Beverly Miller said council could vote on the proposal as early as Thursday.
"If we agree to what they want, we're basically saying to them, 'Take it down,' and I don't think we as a council are ready to make that decision," she said.
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