GalvTech Plans and Requirements for Conversion of the Site

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The following is a detailed description of the existing infrastructure at the Hays site. The four main categories of infrastructure associated with the site are building structure, drainage and stormwater facilities, transportation and access, and utilities. Each category of infrastructure will be discussed in the following sections.

The design of the main building located on the Hays site is of an industrial "shed-type" with the exterior primarily enclosed with transite siding and translucent corrugated fiberglass panels (See Map C-4, Appendix C). Most of the plant features high bay, steel frame structure set on a cast in place concrete foundation (See Photographs A-1 through A-9, Appendix A). The overall length and width of the plant is approximately 1,130 feet by 190 feet, configured in two long bays. (KSBH, 1992). Features of the plant include: five overhead electric trolley cranes (3 in the west bay and two in the east bay); five rolling doors (in main building), one of which contains a semi-permanent loading dock facility; and structural column bays twenty-five feet in width. (KSBH, 1992)

Support spaces are integrated (or attached) to the main structure in different manners. The following is a listing of the four main categories in which they can be classified:

Table 4.1: Four Main Categories of Support Space in the Existing Plant at the Hays Site

In addition to the main building, several other facilities exist at the Hays site. Attached to the office building is the Time/Guard Building. Built in 1955, when extensive modifications were made to the plant, this one-story, flat roofed building served as the controlled entry to the main plant. The Press Transformer Building, the Water Pump building, and the Boiler building are located adjacent to each other on the east side of the plant at the south end. Constructed in 1955, these buildings are metal frames enclosed in metal siding. Both the Press Transformer Building and the Water Pump Building open to the main sheds of the plant. (KSBH, 1992) The Welfare Facilities/Storage Building, located on the east side of the main sheds to the north, is assumed to be an original feature of the plant. The building is a single structure 300 feet in length which contains: shower/toilet and ancillary service spaces on the First floor and Offices on the second floor. The General Storage Building, which is open to the plant, is located adjacent to the Welfare/Storage area and contains a second story mezzanine. Adjacent to and north of the Welfare Facilities/Storage Building is the Substation Building. At the base of this building is the main electrical transformers. The Laboratory Building is a single-story brick building located adjacent to the Substation Building. The Meter Building is a block enclosure building that houses the gas service valves and meters.

The Hays site is located in a 100-year flood plain (See Map C-8, Appendix C). The storm drainage system for the plant consists of gutters, downspouts, and outdoor storm inlets. The system includes a 30" storm water line which runs just outside the plant along its entire length and a 24" sanitary sewer which runs along the length of the plant. Two separate storm water runoff streams are routed under the facility within a concrete culvert, which was constructed by the U.S. Navy in 1942. The first, Streets Run, drains an area estimated to be approximately 10 square miles. The second, Glass Run, which drains an area approximately 10 square miles, joins the culvert beneath the facility. The combined water discharges into the Monongahela River. The Hays Plant contributes only a small percentage of the total amount of drainage to this facility. (KSBH, 1992)

The Hays site is readily accessible to pedestrian, car, and truck traffic (See Map C-6, Appendix C). The main roads surrounding the area include Routes 837 and 885. The main entrance to the plant can be reached by exiting Route 885 onto Glass Run Road and turning right onto Baldwin Road, turning left onto Ramp Street and then turning left onto Mifflin Road which leads to the main entrance. Pedestrians can access the site via several Port Authority Transit (PAT) bus stops located on Baldwin Road. (KSBH, 1992)

Railroad tracks access the site on the eastern side (See Map C-7, Appendix C). These tracks have been abandoned in place by CSX Transportation. The track continues and coils the north end of the property and continues to the northeast, past the West Homestead Park Corporation and links with the Conrail System. (KSBH, 1992)

Three main options for vehicular parking exist at the Hays site. At the main entrance to the south, space is available for approximately 128 cars; on the east side, space is available along the access road for approximately 81 cars; and parking could be provided for an additional 156 cars by the removal of the water treatment plant. (KSBH, 1992)

The existing utility systems which service the plant on the hays site includes mechanical (HVAC), plumbing, and electrical facilities. Three large steam boilers which are 1950's vintage exist at the plant. Originally coal-fired, one has been converted to natural gas. Steam unit heaters exist near the ceiling and run the entire length of the plant with steam distribution piping. (KSBH, 1992)

Domestic water distribution involves a 6" water line which services all the buildings at the site. Sanitary and storm water drainage facilities exist as described in the previous section. The electrical service for lighting and equipment are fed from 230V overhead power lines and step-down transformer for 120V/208V, 3-phase supply. Overhead lines are located between Column Lines 20 and 46, running north/south over the existing press area.

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In order for GalvTech to convert the existing facility at the hays site into a hot-dip galvanizing line to process and coat with corrosion-resistant zinc rolled steel coils brought in from other facilities, it will be necessary to make several modifications to the existing infrastructure. The total of $36.5 million in public funding for the conversion of the facility will be invested in renovations to the building, infrastructure improvements, and equipment (machinery) purchases. Although a large amount of the infrastructure improvements will involve the building structure, the following sections will focus on transportation infrastructure improvements related to the redevelopment of the Hays site.

The material (steel), which will be used in the daily operations of the new processing facility at the Hays site, will be brought in by road (truck) and rail from several suppliers including the USX Irvin Works, Dravosburg, and Cleveland and will be shipped to areas east of the Mississippi. Thus, in order to accommodate the new traffic, several major modifications in the local transportation infrastructure adjacent to the site include: improvement of local roads and improvement of rail access to the site. The railroad and truck access plan for the facility is shown in Figure C-5 in Appendix C.

In order to accommodate the heavy truck traffic which will be delivering and shipping the steel to and from the site, improvements of the local streets near the plant will be necessary. In Particular, it will be necessary to increase the turning radii for the trucks on the local streets. The plans for improvement will be discussed in detail in the following sections. It is estimated that approximately 50 trucks per day will be involved in shipping and delivering the steel coils to and from the plant.

In order to accommodate the new rail traffic that will be delivering and shipping the steel to and from the site, a spur (rail line) will have to be constructed from the existing CSX Transportation mainline near the plant. The plans for improvement will be discussed in the following sections. It is estimated that approximately 15 rail cars per day will be involved in shipping and delivering the steel coils to and from the plant.