Steel Magnolia Nomination Deadline Extended

The deadline for the 2010 Steel Magnolia nominations has been extended through July 30, 2010.

For the second year in a row, the Middletown Community Foundation is accepting nominations for the Steel Magnolia Award. The award is for women who, according to the Middletown Community Foundation website, "have overcome obstacles to positively impact an AK Steel U.S. community." The award is funded by the AK Steel Foundation. Each year, up to ten awards are given out and the recipient's charity of choice receives a $1,000 donation. The award is available for women of all age, who, according to the website, "have faced personal adversity and have shown exceptional strength, courage, compassion and leadership through their work in support of their communities."

Nominations should be submitted in the form of a 500 words or less essay and should be sent to the Middletown Community Foundation by 5:00 PM on July 30, 2010. While nominees must live in the vicinity of an AK Steel facility, they do not have to bee affiliated with the company. This includes Ashland, Kentucky; Butler, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Indiana; Rockport Indiana; and Coshocton, Mansfield, Middletown, Walbridge, West Chester, and Zanesville, all in Ohio.

For more information, call the Middletown Community Foundation at 513-424-7369, or visit their website at www.mcfoundation.org.

In 2009, the award went to eight magnificent women: Eleanor "Elle" Berry of Ashland, Kentucky and her charity, Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital Foundation; Etta J. Carver of Fairfield, Ohio and her charity, Citizens Against Domestic Violence; Martha Fitts Clark of Owensboro Kentucky and her charity, Impact 100 Owensboro; Kimberly Rae Fairchild of Mansfield, Ohio and her charity, Upward Bound Youth in Wooster; Jean Hooper of Zanesville, Ohio and her charity, the Ohio Genealogy Society; Shelly L. Reigle of West Lafayette, Ohio and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life; Tammy Robert of Middletown, Ohio and Berachah Baptist Church's Hands and Feet; and Renee Spohn of Butler, Pennsylvania and her charity, Special Olympics Pennsylvania Butler County.

You can watch a video of last year's ceremony below:

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Remember to call 513-422-1907 for Security Camera Systems in Middletown, Cincinnati, or the Dayton, Ohio areas.

AK Steel Helps with Emergency Relief in Haiti

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the island of Haiti. The country was left devastated and the Haitian government has confirmed that over 150,000 people were killed. In the days and weeks that have followed, the United States government and citizens have donated time and money to help the victims. Ohio-based AK Steel has also made a substantial donation.

On January 22nd, in a press release, AK Steel announced that they would be donating $100,000, through their foundation, to help support the emergency relief efforts in Haiti. The money will go to both the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. The company is also encouraging its 6,200 employees to donate, as well. If an employee chooses to donate, AK Steel will match the gift as part of the AK Steel Matching Gift Program.

"We share the concern of countless others for the safety and well-being of everyone in Haiti. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families affected by this disaster," said James L. Wainscott, the AK Steel chairman, president and CEO.

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Remember to call 513-422-1907 for Security Camera Systems in Middletown, Cincinnati, or the Dayton, Ohio areas.

Indian Artifacts Found at Factory Site

According to the Associated Press, an interesting discovery was made recently at the future site of SunCoke Energy Inc.'s new plant. Several hundred Native American artifacts were found at the site and are thought to be thousands of years old.

SunCoke Energy, which is building the plant to help supply coke for AK Steel's Middletown Works, found a few artifacts and later hired an archaeological firm to excavate two areas. Among the findings were fragments from arrowheads, spearheads, and evidence of stone tool-making.

Experts say the artifacts probably date back to between 8000 B.C. and 1200 A.D. The items will most likely be given to the Cincinnati Museum Center.

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Remember to call 513-422-1907 for Security Camera Systems in Middletown, Cincinnati, or the Dayton, Ohio areas.

Armco Park Grand Re-Opening

Armco park has long since been the private recreation area for the workers and employees of AK Steel. The park has been closed to public use since its conception but all that is changing now. Come this Saturday, March 28, 2009, Armco Park will officially be opened as a public park. This is made so by the fact that Armco park is now under the management of the Warren County Park District.

This re-opening is planned to have a few changes from the previously private park. Warren County Park District Spokesman Dave Woehr said, "In a lot of ways, this is going to be like a brand new park. It's a very impressive piece of land." The county has undertaken many renovations for the park which includes fixing run-down picnic shelters and other facilities.

The park itself is quite impressive. Located on Ohio 741, just north of Ohio 63, lies the 310-acre park. There are many different things in the park for people to enjoy. Armco Park has a lake for fishing, several picnic shelters, numerous softball fields, boat rentals and even a nine-hole golf course. General admission into the park will be free, however, certain activities, like boat rentals and the golf course, will require you to pay.

In September of last year, AK Steel sold Armco Park to Warren County for a price of $4.4 million. Of this sum, the county contributed $1.4 million. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Turtlecreek Township, and Otterbein Retirement Communities each contributed a generous $1 million to the park.

Now just because the park is under new management, does not mean that everything that activity that went on there in the past is out the door. The Warren County Park Board will try to keep many of the past traditions laid forth by Armco alive. For example, the annual Easter Egg Hunt, which used to draw in upwards of 2,000 children(myself included when I was of age) to the park, will take place Saturday, April 11, at 1 p.m. for any children ages 12 and under. An incredible 6,000 colorful plastic eggs will be hidden throughout the park, each filled with candy, for the children to find. A gala Grand-Opening event is being planned at the park for July 4, according to Woehr.

The opening of Armco to the public is a wonderful idea. Now anybody can enjoy the beautiful park and everything it has to offer. It looks like there is a new place for kids and families to go and have fun this summer.

SunCoke Plant Has South Middletown Residents Concerned

SunCoke Energy, a subsidiary of Sunoco Inc., wants to build a $340 million dollar coke production and electrical facility in South Middletown on the border of Monroe. The plant would produce metallurgical-grade coke to be supplied solely to AK Steel Inc. in Middletown via a conveyor system. The board of directors for both AK Steel and Sunoco have made an agreement that would lead to a 20 year supply contract between the two companies, should the plant be built.

The plant being built is contingent on a few things, however. First, the land proposed for its location would need to be rezoned for industrial use. The Middletown Planning Commission has recommended just that - a unanimous vote was passed at a special meeting called on March 26th to address the issue. Middletown and Monroe residents in the area alike left apparently dissatisfied with how the meeting was conducted, with one resident proclaiming "There was no discussion!". Middletown City Council still has to approve the rezoning proposal before it takes affect, and SunCoke still has to receive the required local, state and federal approvals and permits before the plant can be built.

Alan McCoy, AK Steel Vice President of Government and Public Relations stated that the 20-year agreement would "be a tremendous benefit" for the Middletown Works and that the agreement would very likely be renewed after the initial 20 year contract expired. If everything falls into place for SunCoke, the facility would create hundreds of temporary construction jobs, as well as 75 permanent operating and maintenance jobs at the plant with an average salary of $35-45k per year.

Area residents cite concerns with the plant's proposed location, chief among them being pollution. The proposed site is close to Garden Manor Nursing Home and Amanda Elementary School, and surrounded by residential areas. An official from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, however, stated that the plant "should cause no health concerns" and would be rigorously examined and tested for harmful emissions before being given approval to begin operation.

Discuss the Middletown SunCoke Energy Plant on the MiddletownUSA Blog Forum.