52 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com who now represents Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House, said during an interview with PBS NewsHour in 2021, “While there may not be manufacturing jobs on site in the way that it was, people were excited to be working again. They were excited to have economic activity.” In the same interview, Teaera Strum, chief operating officer of Strum Contracting Company, added that, “The revitalization allows (the project) to scale and grow and provide jobs for the community.” Emmy-nominated producer and facilitator of the conversation, Karla Murthy emphasized, “Redevelopment is meeting a need in today’s economy.” Aaron Tomarchio, senior executive at Tradepoint Atlantic, the real estate and development company that owns the former Bethlehem Steel facility, explained, “People want those older economy jobs back. And, you know, I don’t have the ability to bring them back. I have the ability to respond to the market and be able to provide the best opportunities for job creation in the market that we’re in.” As was the case with Bethlehem Steel, pollution remediation at the site in Georgetown is going to take time, Hewitt said. “What was allowed when the Georgetown Steel Corporation was built in the 1960s is a whole lot different than the environmental requirements that have been put into place since. Everyone involved in this project admits that land is contaminated. However, the buyer’s background is in creating and executing mitigation plans to remove toxins from heavily-polluted sites in the Northeast and other areas. He said the soil analysis from the plant is nothing that he hasn’t seen before. He is aware that the leftover byproduct is going to take years to safely clean up.” For those who have lost manufacturing jobs in Georgetown over the last year, the work will look different but the opportunities to come have significant potential. The redevelopment could have the most positive impact for job creation in a county that is still reeling from recent factory closures. on the coast Former Georgetown Steel Plant
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