Source: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15921685&BRD=2626&PAG=461&dept_id=536271&rfi=8 SEDCO supports coal-to-oil BY BRIAN K. SMITH Staff Writer 01/13/2006 The Schuylkill County Economic Development Corp. announced a timetable Thursday for the resumption of work at the Wal-Mart warehouse and also declared its support for a $612 million energy project. At the regular board meeting lunch at the Quality Inn, SEDCO President Frank J. Zukas said that some work has resumed at the construction site in the Highridge on 81 Business Park where on Nov. 18, 120 illegal immigrant workers were arrested. "They were somewhat less informed than they should have been regarding the management of the site," Zukas said of Wal-Mart. Work at the site is still not in full swing, however, and SEDCO Vice President Gerald L. Heffner said only a handful of workers are currently on the job there. "We'll be back to where we need to be in a couple of weeks," he said. Zukas said the building's original occupancy date, set for Sunday, has been pushed back 60 days, and warehouse workers won't enter the site until March. The first shipments are expected about three months after that. Zukas said that, at the request of SEDCO, Wal-Mart is now requiring its subcontractors to hire a third party, such as a labor attorney, to certify that immigrant workers' paperwork is in order. The subcontractors must do so before work resumes. Meanwhile, the board unanimously voted to endorse Waste Management and Processors Inc.'s plans to construct a coal-to-oil facility in Mahanoy Township. The facility will turn waste coal into synthesis gas, used to make liquid fuel. Zukas also defended SEDCO against a recent complaint. At a public meeting Tuesday, Gary Martin, president of the Schuylkill County Building and Construction Trades Council, said WMPI President John W. Rich Jr. has agreed to use union labor at the site. Martin criticized SEDCO for a lack of commitment to organized labor. Zukas said it was untrue that organized labor hasn't been used on projects in which SEDCO has been involved. Martin, a SEDCO board member, did not attend Thursday's meeting. Also Thursday: Heffner reported that there were five new business leads since November's meeting, including a Midwest manufacturer of metal products seeking an eastern U.S. location, an alternative energy manufacturer seeking a 40- to 50-acre site for a semiconductor facility employing 450. Also, a Canadian manufacturer of metal products visited several industrial parks in Schuylkill County recently. The company plans to locate an expansion facility in the state and would hire 20-25 employees. A specialty metal and glass manufacturer from a nearby county is considering relocating to the county. SEDCO Treasurer John Boyer read the final 2005 budget report. The organization saw an income of $681,294, spent $649,126 and ended the year with a net worth of $13,342,725 including all assets. Zukas announced that an expansion of the Wegmans facility in the Highridge park will add 220 jobs. He said the site, which began operations in May 2004, would employ 508 within three years of opening. The board re-elected members to serve for a term to expire Dec. 31, 2008, including Ronald Aungst, James Brennan, Brian Canfield, Martin Cerullo, Harry Crosswell, David Donlin, Richard Fehr, Jack Gensmer, David Holly, Allen Kiefer, Wayne D. Lammie, Alvin B. Marshall, Gary Martin, James Miller, Michael Muncy, Henry Nyce and Joseph Palubinsky. Colleen Fanelli, Ken Stolarick and Edward Barket were elected to the board of directors. Barket will serve until Dec. 31, 2006, and Fanelli and Stolarick until Dec. 31, 2008.

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