Owner may not raze Armorcast buildings in Birdsboro

Rebecca VanderMeulen

Reading Eagle

Buildings on the site of a former steel foundry in Birdsboro might not be coming down.

Greg Flynn, owner of the 91-acre Armorcast site where tanks were made during World War II, said last month that he plans to demolish everything on the land after receiving notice of numerous code violations from Birdsboro and Union Township. The site lies in both municipalities.

But Flynn told Birdsboro Borough Council on Monday night that two manufacturing companies are interested in the site and all the buildings on it. That could mean hundreds of jobs, he said without being more specific.

"One is extremely interested," Flynn said. "I can't say who it is. They want to remain untitled."

He had said the buildings wouldn't come down if he can find a company interested in using them. Birdsboro has issued a demolition permit, but Flynn said he hasn't gotten one from Union.

Officials from both municipalities have said they want Flynn's company, Armorcast LP, to eliminate safety hazards on the site.

Borough engineer Thomas J. Yuhas told Flynn that getting a demolition permit wouldn't get rid of all the problems, which he has until mid-April to resolve.

Flynn said he plans to take steps, including removing storage trailers, sealing off the huge, vacant former foundry and removing large drums that he believes contain used motor oil. But he said it would take longer than a few months.

Councilman Aaron J. Durso said Flynn has promised to do several things he hasn't done, such as develop a plan for the site.

"You probably don't appreciate Birdsboro's code-enforcement letter, but at least we kept our word," Durso said, referring to officials' earlier vow to cite for any codes violations.

Council also heard from Birdsboro Municipal Authority Treasurer Hal Lavin, who said the authority is looking into ways to comply with state standards for its 1-million-gallon water plant.

He said they include:

•Connecting to another utility. The Reading Area Water Authority has expressed interest in providing water to Birdsboro, but the borough authority also is considering the Pennsylvania American Water company and the Western Berks Water Authority.

•Buying water from another utility while retaining ownership of the water system. Water would probably cost more in emergencies such as fires.

•Fixing leaking pipes and upgrading the plant. Plant superintendent Jeff Klick estimated the system leaks 80 gallons per minute, although a big leak was fixed Monday.

"The options that we're looking at, the whole idea is to lower the cost," Lavin said.

Authority customers have complained about high water/sewer bills, but Lavin said most of the money goes for sewage treatment.

This article was written by Rebecca VanderMeulen and published by Reading Eagle on Tuesday, February 10th 2009 and NOT owned by nor affiliated with opacity.us, but are recorded here solely for educational use.