The state Department of Environmental Conservation dealt a significant blow to Niagara Falls Boulevard hotelier Galeb Rizek, Mayor Paul Dyster and state Assemblywoman Francine Del Monte last week by issuing a clean bill of health for Ashland Advanced Materials to take over the former SGL Carbon plant and proceed with plans to resume heat-treating operations there.
The four-page finding, made available exclusively to the Niagara Falls Reporter on Friday, detailed the negative environmental impact the Ashland operation would have on the community and went so far as to mention possible benefits that would result from the reopening of the 160,000 square-foot facility.
Signed by DEC Deputy Regional Permit Director David Denk, the review represents the last hurdle Ashland was forced to overcome after Rizek -- whose low-rent Econolodge is located near the plant -- hired a lawyer in an attempt to stop the reopening.
Recently, Ashland was forced to lay off a number of employees who had been hired in anticipation of production at the plant getting under way earlier. The laid-off workers were direct casualties of Rizek's interference with the company's business.
In October, Rizek asked Mayor Paul Dyster to remove Guy Bax as head of the city's inspections department, because Bax had been so bold as to say he didn't see anything wrong with the Ashland plan, either. Perhaps Rizek will now send a letter to Gov. David Paterson calling for the ouster of Denk from his job at the DEC.
Dyster offered no support for Bax, and hasn't made any comment one way or another on the Ashland proposal. You would think that job creation and private investment in the city of Niagara Falls might be high on his list of priorities, but you'd be wrong.
Likewise, Del Monte has been mute on the controversy, which has generated headlines in both of the area's daily newspapers.
Ashland is making an immediate $20 million investment in upgrading the SGL plant, which has been idle since closing in 2002. Seventy-five workers would be needed to reopen the plant, and the jobs would pay well above average for the area. Ultimately, the new operation could employ as many as 150 people, Ashland officials told the Reporter.
According to the DEC finding, there will be no significant physical changes to the site or its buildings as a result of Ashland's plan, no impact on air quality and noise, a slight increase in traffic along the boulevard, which will likely benefit restaurants and other businesses there, and no impact on water quality in the area or the city.
Improvements to the property either already made by Ashland or in the planning stages are the construction of a fence with a privacy screen around the property, the planting of trees, shrubs and a lawn, improved lighting and increased security, the report notes.
The finding also points out that the area is already zoned for heavy industrial usage, and is -- in its present state -- a brownfield unsuitable for any other kind of immediate development.
Rizek has stated flatly his belief that heavy industry has no place on Niagara Falls Boulevard, which he refers to constantly as "the gateway to the city." In reality, the boulevard is lined with heavy industrial plants, along with a landfill.
Hundreds if not thousands of manufacturing jobs would be lost here under Rizek's vision, some of which might be replaced by lower-paying, service-sector jobs in hotels that may or may not open up.
Ashland President Matt Reineke said he expects demand for the products and services provided by his company to grow over the next four years due to President-elect Barack Obama's emphasis on energy independence.
"We see a bright future for our business here in Niagara Falls due to the focus on advanced energy manufacturing," he said. "We've already had companies from Japan, Korea, Europe and China visit our facility and express interest in working with us to expand our business here in the very near future."
Access to low-cost hydropower, a skilled and hardworking employment base, and incentives and support from state and local business development agencies are just a few of the reasons Reineke expects his business to prosper here, he said.
"During these tough economic times, and with the credit markets as tight as they are, we are really counting on the ability to work with the various government agencies to keep this project on track," he said, noting that both the county Industrial Development Agency and state Power Authority have committed resources to get the moribund factory up and running once again.
Bax, who serves as the city's buildings commissioner as well as being head of the inspections department, said he felt the project would provide jobs and a boost in the local tax base the city desperately needs. He also suggested that concerns about the plant's location are unfounded, as Ashland's project would be taking place inside the former SGL factory on property that is already designated for industrial use.
"What do we do with those properties?" Bax asked. "Do we just close them down and say to hell with industry here?"
For that, he was publicly vilified by Rizek and former block club president Roger Spurback, who both called for his removal.
"I think it's very clear and evident that something needs to be done, and he can't be a part of this process," Rizek said.
Rizek was correct in one respect: It is very clear and evident that something needs to be done. In light of the DEC finding that the reopening of the SGL plant by Ashland Advanced Materials would have no negative environmental impact whatsoever on either the neighborhood or the city, combined with the jobs and revenue the reopening would bring, officials at City Hall should move quickly on issuing a permit allowing Ashland to go ahead and get to work.
To do otherwise would be a slap in the face to every citizen collecting unemployment this Christmas, and to the taxpayers of Niagara Falls, who are presently paying the price for Rizek's obstructionism.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | December 16 2008 |