Georgetown steel mill restoring jobs

The Georgetown steelworks plant is officially under new ownership after Liberty House, a London-based company, announced their final purchase of the property in a press release.

According to the release, the steel mill will officially start work again in Spring 2018, re-hiring 125 former employees of the plant. They hope to eventually build the staff up to 250 workers.

Initially, the company will re-hire former casters, and jobs in the furnace and rolling mill. They are also considering training programs for new workers.

“I know for a fact that it’s going to be a very merry Christmas for some families,” City of Georgetown Mayor-elect Brendon Barber Sr. said. “Not immediately, but eventually. We look forward to working with the owners to provide a better quality of life environmentally, economically and just overall. We hope they’ll be a great partner with the city.”

Liberty House purchased the property from ArcelorMittal after the two companies entered into an agreement in late April.

John Brett, president and CEO of ArcelorMittal USA, said in the release, “Throughout the process, ArcelorMittal has been steadfast in our goal of maintaining the Georgetown steel making operation to preserve jobs and maximize the value of the property for our shareholders.

“While bittersweet for ArcelorMittal, we are hopeful that today’s announcement is a celebration for Liberty Steel and GFG Alliance, the United Steelworkers and the Georgetown community. We appreciate the patience of all of our stakeholders while we finalized this important transaction.”

The Georgetown steelworks plant closed in 2015 after being open for almost 70 years. Mill workers made wire rod, which was shipped to processors to create wire, nails and the steel used in tires.

“Liberty House now aims to restore it to its former position of prominence and bring hundreds of skilled jobs back to the plant and to the local and state economy,” the release states.

As for the port, it is unclear what its fate is, but Gordon Spelich, a consultant for Liberty House, told The Sun News in July that the company hopes to use the port.

“I think at low tide, we’ve got 17 feet right now, which, that’s fine, because we can use barges to get to the facility,” Spelich said. “Would we like to see it dredged deeper? Yes we would, but that’s going to be a longer-term thing.”

In November 2016 the Army Corps of Engineers estimated that it could cost nearly $70 million to dredge the port to 27 feet.

Barber said that the next step for the city is to reach out to state and federal delegates to start work on dredging the port. He said he hopes to open discussions as soon as possible.

As for other businesses in the city, Barber said that re-opening the steel mill will help to improve the economy, which in turn will help local businesses.

According to the release, Liberty House is working to purchase other major U.S. steel plants.

“I’m going to have to sit down with the owners, and we have to establish air quality and water quality,” Barber said. “We need to establish base line data before they open in late 2018.”

This story was originally published December 18, 2017 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Georgetown steel mill restoring jobs."