The plant manager of the former Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale, Springdale’s zoning officer and two council members testified Tuesday as the injunction hearing to block an implosion at the boiler house continued in court.

Last month, 16 Springdale residents filed an injunction to block the demolition of the boiler house at the former coal-fired power plant on Porter Street. They allege property damage and health impacts from the implosion of two smokestacks at the site in June, and say if the boiler house demolition proceeds it would negatively impact the community.

A permit for the June 2 implosion was issued by borough zoning officer Ed Crates on Jan. 17, Crates testified. Crates was involved in monthly meetings with representatives involved with the demolition about a year prior to him issuing the demolition permit.

“Most of the stuff was public safety, the progress of preparing the site for demolition,” Crates said of the meetings.

Other discussions at those meetings involved the property owners having an abatement survey before the implosion and air quality control afterward, Crates said.

Crates testified that as code enforcement officer, he has the ability to issue permits as long as they meet borough ordinances.

Borough council members Toni Robbins and Shawn Fitzgerald oversee his work, but he testified that he does not need to consult them before issuing a permit. He did not consult Robbins or Fitzgerald on the smokestacks’ demolition permit but did talk with the council president at the time, Mitchell Karaica, and borough office administration before issuing the permit.

Residents were notified of the June 2 implosion by crews going door-to-door in neighborhoods near the power plant property, social media posts and through articles in local media, Crates said.

But attorneys for the plaintiffs implied there could have been more public participation leading up to the smokestacks’ implosion. Fitzgerald and Robbins testified they were unaware of the permit until a borough council budget meeting Oct. 5.

But Crates’ issuing the permit was not done in secret, he said, and it was properly granted. His February report to borough council was displayed in court, where it stated that he granted a permit to Grant Mackay Co. for the “demolition of power plant.”

Robbins disagreed: “Demolition is one thing, and implosion is another.”

Sam Miller, plant manager, testified he started working at the power plant in 2009. He shared his history working at the plant, its functions and what is still on-site.

Miller said he was not at the June 2 implosion but returned the following day. There were 205 claims made following the implosion, ranging from property damage to cleanup efforts to damage to appliances from a power surge.

A deadline to submit claims was set for 5 p.m. June 9. Miller said many claims were filed after that date and crews still responded to them. It’s not clear how many of those claims are still open. Miller said Grant Mackay’s insurance is handling that.

Judge John T. McVay Jr., who is presiding over the case, planned to visit the site Wednesday, but that has since been postponed.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)