Gautier Steel Ltd. replacing Washington Street wall
Oct. 31—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The sprawling industrial facility in downtown Johnstown owned by Gautier Steel Ltd. will soon have a new face to show.
The company's 100-year-old, dilapidated brick security wall that stretched along 900 feet of Washington Street has been removed, and a new block wall is under construction.
The old wall dated back to when Bethlehem Steel Company first took over Cambria Steel and expanded the Gautier plant's operations — at that time Gautier was part of Bethlehem — and Bethlehem built new Gautier facilities along Washington Street.
Today, though Bethlehem is gone, Gautier Steel Ltd. continues its presence in the area — producing hot rolled steel.
The company expects construction of the new wall along its facility to be complete in a few weeks, Gautier President and CEO Glenn Buckley said.
In 2016, Gautier secured a $1,144,701 Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant Award through the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
The state provides that particular grant to encourage economic development and ensure that a safe and reliable system of transportation is available to the residents of the commonwealth.
Gautier's grant, in particular, was for a rail safety wall replacement with lighting, said Michele Miller Beener, who authored the grant and whose firm, Aspire Grant & Development, is the grant administrator for Gautier.
At the time the grant was awarded, Gautier officials said the goal of the project was also to add landscaping, sidewalks and replace asphalt paving.
Once the project is complete, Gautier hoped to work with the City of Johnstown and recruit local students to paint historic murals on the barrier.
Other work nixed
However, aside from the wall, plans for other additions changed as Gautier consulted with CSX over the past five years.
CSX Transportation owns train rails and a right of way that would have been disturbed by the planned activity on Washington Street.
"CSX places the highest priority on safety — for its employees and for the public," CSX said in an emailed statement through spokeswoman Sheriee Bowman.
"Publicly sponsored projects must be thoroughly reviewed and approved to ensure compliance with CSX policies. While the original project scope did not meet CSX rail operations and safety requirements, we maintain an open line of communication with Gautier and will review any revised plans that the agency submits."
Additionally, public grant funding originally awarded to Gautier for development at its Clinton Street property has been reallocated for another project.
In 2018, Gautier was awarded a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant of $500,000 to purchase a Norfolk Southern-owned Clinton Street property and construct a park with a playground, along with space for a farmers market and other events.
With those plans scrapped, the grant was transferred in May to the Johnstown Industrial Development Corporation (JIDC) to aid in the continuation of planned improvements to the Center for Metal Arts at the old Cambria Iron Co. property in Johnstown.
JIDC is a subsidiary of Johnstown Area Regional Industries (JARI), a state certified economic development agency.
"Everyone involved wanted to make sure the money supports the type of project it was originally assigned to," JARI President Linda Thomson said. "That's when we worked with the Cambria County Redevelopment Authority and state Sen. Wayne Langerholc to make sure the money stayed here."
Although the project at Gautier has been reduced over time, Thomson said Gautier's new wall will be a major upgrade.
"I think it's going to be incredible," Thomson said. "It's a 100-year-old wall that has been deteriorating. It is the front door to the facility, and I believe that the new security wall is going to really make a difference.
"People will say, 'That's an active, progressive company.' They have been sprucing up with new signage and new painting, too. In the past six years, they've done a great job of improving the property, which is really nice for downtown."
