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Council to weigh giving public more say in LTV site cleanup
Wednesday, November 18, 1998 By Timothy McNulty, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
A measure introduced by City Council President Bob O'Connor yesterday would require greater public involvement in cleanup plans for the closed LTV Steel Co. coke works in Hazelwood.
O'Connor said more community input is needed to ensure that the site is adequately cleaned and prepared for future development. He said plans to turn the site over to the Sun Co. for construction of a new coke plant are "in limbo," and public involvement in cleanup is needed in case the deal falls through.
"If Sun comes, there's no problem. If Sun doesn't come, we're stuck with a very bad property," he said. "This is LTV's property and we want to make sure they stick to the letter of the law" on cleanup.
LTV already plans to make the site "suitable for any form of commercial, professional or industrial development," said spokesman Mark Tomasch.
He said the Cleveland-based company will clean the site the same way it cleaned its former South Side works site, which is now being developed into a mixed-use commercial and residential project.
O'Connor said the measure was not intended to stall talks between LTV and Sun on building a new coke plant at the site. But coke plant critics, many of whom live in Hazelwood, which O'Connor represents, hailed the legislation.
"Why not intervene now and make sure that this site is remediated to a standard that allows multiple uses and hold LTV liable for the cleanup?" said Squirrel Hill resident Mary Lewin, a member of Citizens Helping Our Community.
"This is only sound economic practice, no matter how you feel about the coke plant."
O'Connor said he had not talked to Mayor Murphy about the measure and Murphy spokesman Craig J. Kwiecinski said he did not know if the mayor would sign the bill. Council will debate the measure today.
Tomasch would not comment on O'Connor's measure. He said the company has already started demolishing much of the old coke works, which closed in February, and has started cleaning the 133-acre site. There has been no public involvement in the remediation efforts thus far, he said.
State law says municipalities can request public involvement in remediation planning, including public meetings, round-table discussions and other efforts. The law also says independent negotiators can be hired to facilitate discussions between companies and communities.
The city has a 30-day period to request public involvement, which runs out at the end of November, O'Connor said.
Sun is still negotiating with LTV to buy the site and preparing permits to file with the Allegheny County Health Department, Sun spokesman Bud Davis said.
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