Sparrows Point

Two fires in an ore-handling building at Severstal Steel Co. at Sparrows Point on Tuesday afternoon forced the evacuation of several employees and brought nearly two dozen pieces of fire apparatus from several Baltimore County fire stations and the steel plant to the scene, said a Fire Department communications officer. There were no injuries. About 2 p.m., a fire was reported in a screen machine on the third floor and was extinguished in about 30 minutes. A second fire was reported later on the seventh floor and was also quickly extinguished.

Several companies have bid on bankrupt RG Steel's Sparrows Point mill, according to a source with knowledge of the bankruptcy proceedings. U.S. steel firm Nucor Corp., Ukrainian mining and metallurgy company Metinvest Group, and Brazilian steel giant CSN are among potential bidders on the Baltimore County steelmaking site, according to a source who declined to be named because the bid process is confidential. Bids were due by noon Wednesday. The bidders' interest was first reported by the Baltimore Brew news website.

I read Dan Rodricks ' column about how to renew manufacturing at Sparrows Point, and I found his suggestion of putting a Berger Cookie factory on the site glib, inappropriate and insensitive to the many workers who lost their jobs. It was an idea that would only come from someone who didn't have family who worked down the point and who just doesn't get it. My father worked down the point for 50 years, as did my grandfather, and my brother just lost his job there when the plant closed.

The owners of the Sparrows Point steel mill plan to raze the closed plant, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said Thursday, as political leaders from Towson to Washington mourned the loss of a landmark that once employed tens of thousands. The officials, including Gov. Martin O'Malley, vowed to help steelworkers who have lost their jobs. But the head of United Steelworkers Local 9477 was angry that a key part of the plant is being sold to North Carolina-based Nucor Corp. — to be used for spare parts.

The Russian owner of Sparrows Point said it plans to extend a partial shutdown of the Baltimore County mill through the first quarter and will temporarily lay off more than 1,000 people by Christmas as it grapples with low demand for steel. On Thursday, Severstal notified state officials, as required by law, about the layoffs that are expected to occur by Dec. 19. The number of employees whose jobs would be suspended includes 668 who have been out of work since July, when company officials first announced a shutdown of the plant's primary operations.

RG Steel Sparrows Point plans to restart the No. 2 galvanizing line in early April, expanding the plant's product offerings, the steelmaker said Tuesday. "Our customers have expressed interest in a broader range of products from Sparrows Point," Jerry Nelson, chief commercial officer at RG Steel, said in a statement. The line, which was idled by the plant's previous owner in July 2010, produces heavy-gauge coated products. Sparrows Point's No. 4 line will move some of its galvanized orders to the No. 2 line.

Joshua Polanowski was one of the first to go. He drove south in his 15-year-old GMC pickup truck, leaving behind freezing cold and a forever-closed steel mill for a balmy winter and a choice of manufacturing jobs. Forrest and Lacey Martin followed with their two daughters and pair of cats. Goodbye, Maryland. Hello, Texas. The demise of Sparrows Point and its 2,000 jobs last year has forced many life-changing decisions. For a small but growing number of workers, that change is an out-of-state address.

Baltimore County will hold sessions next week for Sparrows Point workers and others affected by the steel mill owner's bankruptcy. The workshops will offer resources for the laid-off workers, particularly information about federal aid for retraining and other benefits available to them through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program. State and local agencies will have staff on hand to answer questions. The sessions will run from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 4 and 6 at the training conference center just inside the Sparrows Point complex.

Baltimore County officials are urging workers who were laid off from the Sparrows Point steel mill this year to ensure they meet deadlines for receiving federal assistance. The deadline for applying for Trade Adjustment Assistance is 26 weeks after a layoff. For some workers laid off this year, that date is approaching this month, county economic development officials say. The benefits include funds for job training, extended unemployment compensation, relocation assistance, wage subsidies for certain workers who find reemployment, and other help.

A Delaware bankruptcy judge has allowed environmental groups to appeal RG Steel 's plan to limit its investigation of potential toxic contamination in the waters surrounding Sparrows Point. While bankruptcy filings normally put all litigation on hold, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey granted a motion to pursue the appeal filed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation , Blue Water Baltimore and the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper . The groups had challenged a Baltimore federal judge's approval of an agreement between RG Steel and federal and state regulators to sample for toxic contaminants no more than 50 feet offshore of the steel mill at Sparrows Point.