With more than 8,000 employees temporarily not working at Shell Chemicals’ ethane cracker plant site, Beaver County officials say there will economic impact.
POTTER TWP. — The temporary closing of Shell Chemicals’ ethane cracker plant will send 8,000 workers home — and could leave a rippling effect on the county’s small businesses.
Hours after the Beaver County Board of Commissioners called for Gov. Tom Wolf to halt work at the Potter Township site due to concerns about spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, Shell officials announced they were sending workers home for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
County officials said health and safety are paramount, but they know that small businesses that provided meals and other amenities to the plant will take a hit.
“Our small businesses are going to start suffering because of the voluntarily shutdown that they're doing too,” commissioner Chairman Daniel Camp said. “So, that’s a big concern for me too, because they bring a lot of employees and they add a lot of financial and economic growth to our area, but right now we just have to continue to do the essential things that need to be done daily until we get through this.”
It’s the latest punch to small businesses, particularly restaurants. After Wolf’s order for all bars and restaurants to close to dine-in business, all non-essential businesses to close to the public and the advice from the state Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control for residents to practice social distancing, businesses are having to get creative to stay alive.
“It’s a significant impact, but it’s so convoluted given everything else small businesses are directed to do and are trying to do with trying to minimize spread of virus,” said Helene Kissick, executive director of the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce “There’s so many impacts right now to business in general, but Shell’s decision will definitely have an impact as well.”
Commissioner Jack Manning, who most recently served in Kissick’s role before his election, said he has a lot of concerns of how businesses in Beaver County will react. For one, he said, if some of the employees decide to go home — many stay in local hotels — that could cause its own problems.
But with restriction on activity, those workers who live at local hotels don’t have much to do here in Beaver County, he said.
“I think it all has to be taken into consideration,” Manning said. “As much as I'm concerned about the health of people — and there was obviously going to be a measurable community health impact if they didn’t close — I'm worried that the long-term economic impact is going to far outweigh the number of people who get sick, and have issues with this. The long-term ramifications economically are going to be huge, and I'm really really concerned about it right now.”
Commissioner Tony Amadio said he believes that local businesses will continue to show resilience and local residents will continue to support businesses in this difficult time.
“I’ve talked to some local businesses and they’re concerned, but we have some really, really good business people here,” Amadio said. “We have a great community. But we’re going to have to take this hit — we have to hope our people all survive. We want to protect the health and safety of our public, as best we can.”
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Officials: Shell closing right move, but will have impact - The Times
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