The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

February 26, 2008

Judge denies adding defendant to Trinity suit

By Monica Pryts

GREENVILLE — Trinity Industries Inc.’s request to add another defendant to its lawsuit against Commerce Park of Greenville has been denied.

U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab, Pittburgh, on Tuesday denied Trinity’s request to file a second amended complaint that would add the parent company of the former Greenville Steel Car Co. to the lawsuit.

Schwab’s order said the request was untimely, as amendments to the lawsuit were due by Nov. 30. Trinity didn’t provide sufficient reasons for the tardiness of the request and the company was already allowed to amend the complaint once to add more information, he said.

Trinity’s attorney, Leonard Ambrose of Erie, did not return a message Tuesday.

Steel Car changed its name to Greenlease Holding Co. in 1986, when Trinity bought the property, according to court documents filed Feb. 15 by Trinity.

Trinity had asked U.S. District Court to add Greenlease and its parent company, Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp., to the lawsuit in which Trinity claims it’s not the only company responsible for cleaning up hazardous waste at the site of its former railcar plant.

According to Trinity’s court documents, Trinity has been investigating activities that occurred at the property before they bought it. Steel Car operated a railcar manufacturing facility there from 1922 until 1986.

Trinity believes that during that time, Steel Car used products and chemicals that included hazardous substances, which were dumped on or at the property and may continue to contaminate the site, making them responsible for helping with the cleanup.

In early 2006, Trinity was charged by the state Attorney General’s office for illegally dumping hazardous waste at the railcar site.

A plea agreement reached in December 2006 ordered Trinity to clean up the site and pay $254,502 in fines and court costs and make a $50,000 contribution to nonprofit organizations in Mercer County, all of which have been paid.

On June 28, Trinity sued Commerce Park and its director, William E. Marsteller, which bought Trinity’s north plant in 2004, saying they dumped hazardous materials when they demolished structures on the property.

Commerce Park has said the park and Marsteller aren’t liable for hazardous materials found at the site and not responsible for helping Trinity with the cleanup.

Text Only
Local News
  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012

  • School board mulls change to sports chaperone policy

    In order to comply with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Sharpsville Area School Board is looking to adjust a chaperone policy it implemented six months ago.

    May 25, 2012

  • Afternoon crash hurts 3 high school students

    Three Jamestown High School students were injured – one seriously – when their pickup left a roadway in southwest Crawford County and crashed into a tree Tuesday afternoon.

    May 24, 2012

  • Board sells some, holds some

    Brookfield Board of Education members voted Tuesday to accept only the bids for the elementary school and the middle school, for a total of $97,050.
    The decision came after an hour-long executive session.

    May 24, 2012

  • Levey: Kohl’s project died with school vote

    Stripped of the necessity of voting for a tax incremental finance plan by Hermitage School Board’s unwillingness to participate, Mercer County commissioners said Wednesday they would like to meet with school board and Hermitage city officials to discuss other ways they can help Levey and Co. build a retail development in the city.

    But Levey spokeswoman Jeffrey A. Mills said there is nothing to discuss.

    May 24, 2012

  • Warden expects hectic season at county jail

    With the unofficial start of summer just a few days away, Mercer County Jail officials are preparing for a busy season.

    May 23, 2012

  • Levey officially drops TIF request

    Levey & Co. has officially ended its request for a tax incremental financing plan to build a retail development anchored by a Kohl’s department store.

    May 23, 2012

  • Grant will pay to fix 12-15 homes



    The City of Farrell will be able to fix up about a dozen homes in the city thanks to a $300,000 HOME grant from the state.

    May 23, 2012

  • Hard budget choices yet to come


     
    Hermitage School Board has been fortunate in many ways during the economic downturn that has been so hard on many other schools.

    May 23, 2012