MINGO JUNCTION — Mingo Junction Fire Chief John Wright informed Village Council Tuesday that JSW Steel USA has requested that the village have a full fire crew available and in the plant on Thursday when they plan to test the caster at the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. plant.

It’s another step in the return to steel production at the plant that has been idle for nearly a decade.

Reports have indicated that JSW plans to restart the facility’s electric-arc furnace before the end of the year.

The EAF has a production capacity of 1.6 million tons per year. Wheeling-Pitt originally installed it in 2004. However, the furnace has not been operational since 2009, and its previous owners had said they had trouble getting it to produce to its capacity.

Several owners have worked for nearly a decade to get the plant back online.

India-based JSW purchased the Mingo Junction mill earlier this year from Acero Junction, which bought it from Frontier Industries in 2016. Frontier had acquired it in what was almost a fire sale after RG Steel declared bankruptcy shortly after purchasing it in 2011.

RG Steel’s purchase came a couple of years after OAO Severstal idled the mill nearly 10 years ago. It had acquired the plant from Esmark Inc., which had purchased several former Wheeling-Pitt assets in the mid-2000s.

JSW has said it plans expansion in addition to restarting the existing operations.

At the time it purchased the mill, John Hritz, president and chief executive officer of JSW Steel USA Inc., said the company would spend $250 million to get the EAF running again.

But if market conditions warranted it, the company would match that with another $250 million for a second EAF and additional hot strip mill equipment, pending the outcome of feasibility studies and permit approvals.

Wright explained that the full crew will consist of having a truck and eight firefighters in the plant at the time in case of any emergencies. He said this will not affect service for residents.

“If something were to happen (in the village) it would only take us a minute to get out of there,” he told council.

“All calls will still be covered in town,” he added.

Parking issues on Grandview Avenue were also discussed. No parking signs have been placed on the street limiting parking to only one side of the street. According to officials, the reasoning is that with the parking as it was, village vehicles, including snow plows and fire engines, were unable to go down the street.

Councilwoman Jodi Fitzgerald expressed concerns that some of the residents on the street were elderly and disabled and the new parking may cause safety problems. Council agreed to schedule a safety committee meeting to further discuss the matter and discuss other possible solutions.

Wright and Police Chief Joe Sagun stated they will be present at the meeting as well to help find a suitable solution.

Kyle Moffat, the chief operator of wastewater plant, demonstrated a new projector he recently installed in council chambers. The projector can be hooked to a computer or other electronic devices for presentations.

Mayor Ed Fithen advised the council that the village has purchased 100 tons of salt for the upcoming winter months.

He said crews will be working on a storm sewer on McLister Avenue to help divert water from running across the road.