RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY

PDT Staff Writer

NEW BOSTON — A spokesperson for InfraMetals says the company is “close to closing” on the acquisition of recently remediated land in New Boston to build a new steel distribution center.

In June, Inframetals project manager Michael Dean said they were just 30-days away from closing the deal to build a $13 million steel distribution plant in New Boston. Now far past that timeframe, Dean said Wednesday that the company is still “close to closing” on their deal.

He had no further comment at this time.

The Southern Ohio Port Authority (SOPA) first announced in 2007 their plans to remediate land behind the former Walmart building, where a diesel shop once operated in the New Boston Coke Plant. InfraMetals agreed to purchase the land from SOPA after it had been remediated and approved by Environmental Protection Agency.

After SOPA had completed its remediation of the New Boston property last fall, they and InfraMetals hosted a formal groundbreaking ceremony, even though the company still had not — and has not — yet purchased the land.

As further incentive to build in New Boston, the company was granted a 40 percent, six-year Job Creation Tax Credit from the state of Ohio and a 75 percent, 10-year local tax credit from the village. Also, last month, the Scioto County Commissioners approved an application to the Governor’s Office of Appalachia for $150,000 to help InfraMetals purchase an overhead crane that will be used in the New Boston facility.

Now with remediation behind them and the site approved by the EPA, Dean said in June that the company is moving forward with legal transfer of the property to build the new facility. Once the title has been cleared, Dean said the company will begin construction right away. He estimated in June that the business will be completely operational by mid-first-quarter of 2013 with 25 starting employees and increasing to 65 or 70 as quickly as possible. There was no comment on how these further delays might affect that timeline.

A subsidiary of the publicly-traded Reliance-Infra-Metals (NYSE: RS) of Wallingford, Conn., InfraMetals steel distribution company already operates six steel service center warehouses in Florida, Virgina, Maryland, Connecticut and Illinois. The company will reportedly generate $1.8 million in new annual payroll at its New Boston plant

Ryan Scott Ottney can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 235, or rottney@heartlandpublications.com.