Rivers of steel heritage corporation (ROS) is respectfully requesting a grant of $580,000 to be used towards thehistoric restoration of the stationary car dumper at the CARRIE blast furnaces (CARRIE)

The National Park Service, through the Save America's Treasures federal grant program (CFDA 15.929), awarded the Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation (ROS) a $580,000 project grant to support the historic restoration of the Stationary Car Dumper at the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark site in Pennsylvania.

The primary goal of this project grant is to address structural decay and safety concerns with the Car Dumper structure, which is a key interpretive feature of the Carrie Blast Furnaces site that sees thousands of public visitors annually. The grant funding will enable ROS to perform large-scale structural repairs and interventions, including steel component restoration, repainting, and other measures to mitigate risks of further deterioration and ensure continued public access to this historic industrial asset. This work will be conducted over a 12-18 month period in accordance with Department of Interior standards to preserve the site's national industrial heritage significance.

CARRIE, a nationalhistoric landmark (NHL) site, is one of the last remnants of pittsburghs iron and steel heritage, and a rareextant example of blast furnaces and their associated structures in the united states. The car dumper a roughlythree story structure used to offload ORE transportation carsis one of the primary interpretive areas within thelarger CARRIE site, and a vital access point for other sections of the mill. CARRIE is open to the public andactively interpreted by ROS for thousands of visitors each year. While the car dumper is currently accessible tovisitors, this access is limited to particular pathways through the structure, with no access to the upper levelsdue to safety concerns. The car dumpers current structural decay is contributing to a loss of stability andintegrity across the structure. If this is not mitigated, this portion of the site will be unable to be opened tothe public and, more importantly, will be in danger of undergoing irreversible damage. Steel components such asfloor decking, risers, and steps are rotting, creating new unsafe areas. Paint continues to peel away from thecar dumper, contributing to a greater onset of decay. Sections of the structure previously closed off to theenvironment are now open, allowing weather damage. To mitigate these risks, ROS will need to perform large scalestructural repairs and interventions. While the car dumper has not yet deteriorated to the point of imminentdanger, if the damage is left to continue apace, inevitably more serious preservation issues will arise. Rosseeks to use funds from this grant to take the corrective measures necessary to both ensure that the car dumpercan open to the public and that integral portions of the contributing structure of the site are not damagedbeyond the point of repair and mitigation. Extensive work on steel repair, repainting, and other repair measureswill be required. This in turn will require the rental of equipment and the hiring of qualified professionals towork alongside ROS staff to assist in repair. These main repairs will occur in 2 phases across 12 to 18 months, addressing each endangered section of the car dumper to mitigate these risks. Qualified professionals will becontracted and will work with ROS staff to repair damage as necessary to regain site stability. This work willoccur in accordance with department of interior standards and will ensure CARRIE and the car dumper remain a partof our national industrial heritage.