Special offer

Steel City, Pueblo Colorado

By
Real Estate Agent with Rocky Mountain Realty #EA40039680

Pueblo has been known for years and years as ‘Steel City'. The mill is  the root of the city and it's hard to miss when passing by on the freeway. There is a lot more to Pueblo than the mill, but it has had such an impact on the city and it's residence. The ‘Steel City Diner' to the ‘SC Insurance Company' there is no denying Pueblo is Steel City.

Steel mill mulling new rail facility

Lengths would be tops in nation. Pueblo's Rocky Mountain Steel venture would make pieces up to 480 feet long, done now only in Europe.

By Kimberly S. Johnson
Denver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated:10/30/2006 11:03:04 PM MST

Rocky Mountain Steel Mills is considering building a new rail mill in Pueblo. The mill, which would replace the existing facility, would be the first in the nation capable of making rails up to 480 feet long.

"We're doing a study. It's by no means a done deal. There are lots of drivers," Robert Simon, vice president and general manager of Rocky Mountain Steel, said Monday. "The mill we have, pieces go back to the late 1920s and '30s."

The current rail mill can build rails up to 80 feet long. To date, rails 330 to 480 feet long are produced only in Europe. The prospect of a new Pueblo rail mill is attractive to railroad companies, Simon said.

Rocky Mountain Steel has 1,002 employees and is one of Xcel Energy's largest customers.

The engineering study has been underway for a few months, but there is no deadline frame for its completion or for the company's decision.

Officials wouldn't estimate the price tag of a new mill other than saying the facility would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

"We're waiting for the study to see how much it would cost," said Ray Adams, chief financial officer for Oregon Steel Mills Inc., Rocky Mountain Steel's Portland, Ore.-based owner.

Building a new rail mill would result in some new jobs, but steelworkers could lose jobs when a new, state-of-the-art mill is fully operational, said Jim Sandusky, vice president of United Steel Workers, Local 2102.

"Usually, when they modernize a place, you lose a few jobs, not a whole lot, generally through attrition," he said. "We'd have to have training to learn the new technology."

Pueblo is the only potential location for a new Oregon Steel mill, Adams said.

"If we were to build a rail mill, it would built in Pueblo because that's where our steel mill is," he said.

Should the company decide to build a new rail mill there, Rocky Mountain Steel could seek incentives from the city, Simon said.

"We're pretty far away from that," he said. "There are a lot more questions than answers right now."

Staff writer Kimberly S. Johnson can be reached at 303-954-1088 or kjohnson@denverpost.com.

Posted by

Information Herein Deemed Reliable but Not Guaranteed 

All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Dena Stevens, and may not be used without the expressed consent. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted, Copyright 2004-2017 Dena Stevens Realtor 719 369-9087. Please note that opinions, real estate practices, prices and data always changes over time, so please keep in mind the date when this information was published as the information could have become irrelevant over the past days, months and years. Copyright Dena Stevens © All Rights Reserved 2017

www.realestatecoloradostyle.com  

 

 

Comments (6)

Kristal Kraft
Novella Real Estate - Denver, CO
Selling Metro Denver Real Estate - 303-589-2022

You must get off the highway to actually see how beautiful Pueblo really is.  The river walk with it's bike path (ok I know some people walk it too) and the lovely art along the way all pull together to make Pueblo much more than a steel city.

kk

Nov 13, 2006 10:21 AM
Jacqulyn Richey
Prominent Realty Group - Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas Real Estate

Interesting article. I like the fact you put in a picture, but I would make it a little bigger in future posts. Just my two cents. -Charles

Nov 13, 2006 11:56 AM
Eddy Martinez
Nationwide Funding Group - Highland Park, CA
Cool Blog i really want to visit your state soon....................
Nov 14, 2006 06:07 AM
Sabine Pyrchalla
Colorado Springs, CO

Dena,

Which side of this are YOU leaning towards? Bring the new Steel Mill? Or not? Just wondering....

Nov 15, 2006 02:16 AM
Dena Stevens
Rocky Mountain Realty - Canon City, CO
Putting The Real Into Realtor Since 2004

Sabine - The Steel Mill already exists, but they are trying to bring in more contracts for more steel. Over all it might mean more jobs, always a good thing.

Eddy - come on over the snow is great this year!

KK - as usual you got me thinking about another blog. Thanks!

Nov 15, 2006 02:50 AM
Dena Stevens
Rocky Mountain Realty - Canon City, CO
Putting The Real Into Realtor Since 2004

See how the "Steel City" is changing into something new with Vestas : http://activerain.com/blogsview/657057/Vestas-is-coming-to

Sep 06, 2008 01:58 AM