Springdale boiler house to be demolished conventionally instead of imploded, property owner says

The boiler house at Springdale’s former power plant will be torn down conventionally instead of imploded as the property owner originally planned.

Scott Reschly, vice president of operations for Charah Solutions, said crews intend to demolish the boiler house at the former Cheswick Generating Station between mid-February and early March.

A subsidiary of the Kentucky-­based Charah, Cheswick Plant Environmental Remediation Group, or CPERG, will coordinate with borough officials to hold a public meeting on the demolition before it begins. A date hasn’t been set.

Reschly said CPERG decided to move forward with a conventional demolition because the process that transpired after the implosion was planned was “extremely too long and difficult.”

“We’ve had to make the decision to move forward without the implosion and continue to remediate the property,” he said.

The boiler house, off Springdale’s Porter Street, was scheduled to be imploded on Sept. 22, 2023. Just days before that, 16 Springdale residents filed an injunction in Allegheny County Court seeking to halt the implosion.

The residents contended that a June 2, 2023, implosion of two towering chimneys at the site damaged their health and properties. They argued that an implosion of the boiler house would do the same or worse.

During the trial, defendants Charah Solutions and subcontractors Controlled Demolition Inc. and Grant Mackay Co. argued that an implosion would be safe and would be the best option for demolition.

The litigation is still hung up in the courts. A judge in December 2023 granted the injunction and set a path forward for the building’s implosion.

On appeal, the state Superior Court reversed that decision, finding that the county court should not have intervened and that the residents had other, more appropriate channels to challenge the implosion permitting.

Attorneys representing the residents applied in late November for reargument with the Superior Court. Attorney John Kane said the request gets denied if no action is taken by the Superior Court within 60 days, after which the residents would have about 30 days to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

“Despite this, we received a letter last week indicating that Charah/CPERG has apparently opted to forgo demolition of the boiler house through the use of explosives and has decided to demolish it by conventional means instead,” Kane said.

Controlled Demolition Inc. had a blasting permit for demolition of the boiler house, but it expired in September. DEP did not receive a subsequent blasting permit application for consideration.

Lauren Camarda, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the agency was informed by Charah Solutions verbally that it no longer intends to use explosives.

Reschly said Cleveland-based B&B Wrecking & Excavating Inc. will handle the boiler house demolition.

With a nonexplosive demolition, approval from the Department of Environmental Protection is not required, said agency spokeswoman Lauren Camarda. Any potential asbestos issues would be overseen by the Allegheny County Health Department, she said.

In a separate legal matter, CPERG in U.S. District Court sued contractor Grant Mackay for what it alleged to be a breach of contract for not imploding the boiler house once the Superior Court gave the green light to do so and contractor CDI for an alleged “improper demolition and implosion of chimneys” at the Springdale site.

Reschly declined to comment on that lawsuit.

Attorneys representing Grant Mackay and CDI didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Springdale Councilman Joe Kern, a plaintiff in the residents’ lawsuit, said CPERG’s decision to demolish the boiler house conventionally is a win for the community.

“I think it’s a net positive,” Kern said. “At least this way we won’t have to worry about any more damages. I think they can take it down conventionally without causing any issues with residents in the town.

“I think it’s a smart decision. Hopefully, it’s a step forward.”

For CPERG, it’s been a yearslong process to remediate the site. CPERG acquired the property in April 2022 with the intent to raze the buildings, remediate the land and sell it for redevelopment. The plant has since been decommissioned, buildings have been razed, the chimneys came down in 2023 and the trestle bridge over Pittsburgh Street was demolished last fall.

The boiler house is the last structure standing on the site, Reschly said.

He said CPERG still wants to remediate the site for productive use.