Butler Works expansion sends signal company plans to be here long-term
After some delay while awaiting the results of a property survey, a proposed expansion at the Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works facility is set to go before the Butler Township Board of Commissioners.
While the $195 million expansion will not lead to many new jobs — the project’s technical manager cautioned only a few technical jobs would be coming to the area due to the upgrade at a township planning commission meeting Tuesday night — the investment is still a good sign.
The company’s willingness to invest nearly $200 million into the facility indicates it doesn’t plan to shut down or relocate operations at the Butler Works or the 1,300 or so employees that go along with them.
Instead, it appears Cleveland-Cliffs includes the site in its long-term plans. At Tuesday night’s meeting, project manager Ben Frisbee said the expansion would mainly serve to allow the facility to produce better quality steel.
While nothing is certain in economics, and therefore business, it’s unlikely a company would make an investment that large focused on quality rather than quantity of output somewhere it didn’t intend to continue doing business for long.
It’s also reassuring to note the company is actively and willingly addressing potential concerns regarding the proximity of the expansion to Bessemer Avenue and looking at feasible ways to reinforce infrastructure along the adjacent hillside. Such precautions should help allay fears about the impact the project will have on existing infrastructure.
The township planning commission’s approval is only one step toward realization of the expansion. The township commissioners still need to sign off on the plan, as do county-level entities; and agreements for a retaining wall, stormwater and general development are still needed. However, plans for the facility do not expect operational readiness for the expansion until the summer of 2028.
While there’s still some distance to go to see the proposal become a reality, we can hope things move along according to schedule and provide some security for the Butler Works and the hundreds of people who work there.
— JP
