WCBC

March 19th, 2015 by WCBC Radio

The Cumberland Times News reports that after 26 years in the railroad tie business, Koppers Inc. on Railroad Street will be closing its doors. Christina Evans, communications manager in the Pittsburgh headquarters said the wood treating activity will stop July 31, perhaps earlier. Wooden ties are treated with creosote and borate at the facility. The facility will close permanently because customer requirements have changed, the cost to modernize the plant is not financially feasible and it is too costly to maintain the site, Evans said. An estimated 53 people work at the plant. Evans said the decision was not an easy one and that the company is helping employees with the transition process. The facility sits on 96 acres. In addition to Koppers Inc. railroad treating plant in Green Spring, the corporation operates a carbon materials and chemicals facility, other railroad products and structures, and a global technology center. In past years, the Green Spring firm has been listed in the top 10 employers in Hampshire County. In 2014, it dropped out of that ranking, succeeded by the Global Capital of World Peace in Three Churches. The Green Spring operation has had numerous issues with road access due to crossing the privately owned toll bridge between Oldtown and Green Spring. That bridge has been flooded or damaged, making it not passable various times during recent years.