MAYVILLE - Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards has announced the beginning of the final remedial and demolition work at the former Roblin Steel site in the City of Dunkirk.
"We have worked for many years diligently over the last two and a half years to get to this point," said Edwards. "In partnership with the City of Dunkirk, The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the U S Environmental Protection Agency, the County has cleaned up the site and has awarded the work to Empire Dismantlement Corp. in Grand Island. We will be holding a kick off event on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m. at the site at 320 S. Roberts Road in the City of Dunkirk."
The project site occupies approximately 12 acres of an inactive industrial park and contains a former facility building that encompasses approximately 88,500 square feet. The adjoining properties located in this industrial park include the former Alumax Extrusions site (now county owned) and the Edgewood Warehouse site (now under County control). The project site is located in an area that is zoned for industrial use and is bounded to the north by an active CSX rail yard; to the east by active Norfolk Southern railroad tracks; to the south by the former Alumax Extrusions site; and to the west by the Edgewood Warehouse site.
"The project site was first developed in 1910 as part of a larger locomotive manufacturing complex operated by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO)," said Edwards. "ALCO manufactured locomotives at this complex until 1930, at which time it was converted to manufacture process equipment primarily consisting of heat exchangers, feed water heaters, and pressure vessels. During and after World War II, manufacturing operations at the plant were expanded to include military equipment. ALCO was also contracted by the Atomic Energy Commission to develop, manufacture, and test nuclear reactor components and packaged reactor units. In addition, ALCO manufactured components for the crawler for the Apollo/Saturn V space rocket."
After its closure, the ALCO complex was purchased by Progress Park in 1963, whose mission was to facilitate the re-occupation of the complex. The Roblin Steel Company acquired the project site in 1969 and operated a steel reclamation business on the property until 1987. The site was acquired by Chautauqua County via tax foreclosure in 2002.
"We are thrilled to add this excellent property to our portfolio for redevelopment," said William Bill Daly, CCIDA Director. "When we complete the demolition at the adjacent Alumax Alumax facility, and any required work is completed at the former and Edgewood Warehouse facilities, a developer will have over 28 acres of contiguous remediated property for redevelopment. All of those acres are in the Dunkirk/Sheridan Empire Zone."
For more information on this and other brownfield properties in Chautauqua County, contact Cheryl A. Ruth, Chautauqua County Brownfield Coordinator at 716-661-8410.