Locating Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility at Fox North site would cost taxpayers millions or could result in loss of hundreds of local jobs DENVER, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Owens Corning, a local employer and a leading global producer of building materials, publicly voiced this evening its strong opposition to the Regional Transportation District's (RTD's) plans to build a Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility (CRMF) at the site of the company's Fox Street roofing plant. The company was joined tonight at a RTD public meeting by approximately 250 employees and other supporters who oppose selection of the Fox North site because of the considerable expense to taxpayers or the possibility it could ultimately eliminate hundreds of Denver area jobs. "We support the RTD's FasTracks program, but we strongly object to locating the CRMF on the Fox North site," said Bill Shockley, plant leader at Owens Corning's Fox Street roofing facility. "It will cost $80-$100 million to relocate and rebuild Owens Corning's roofing facility and taxpayers would ultimately pay the bill. This includes the costs of identifying and purchasing new property, building or purchasing new infrastructure, relocating equipment, securing the required permits and the disruption to our business during construction." The company argued that the RTD's analysis of the Fox North site fails to recognize the significant expense to relocate and rebuild Owens Corning's roofing facility and that the RTD's relocation timeline is unrealistic. Owens Corning estimates it would take up to three years to relocate/rebuild. The RTD has proposed forcing Owens Corning off of the Fox North site as early as 2010. Owens Corning also cautioned that if the RTD doesn't fairly compensate the company for the high costs of relocation, it could be forced to cease operations in Denver. Closing the Fox Street roofing plant would necessitate closing the company's Bannock Street asphalt plant since the two facilities rely on each other to operate. These plant closures could cost the community as much as $140 million annually in lost jobs and business. Up to one hundred Owens Corning jobs and possibly an additional one hundred jobs at other Colorado companies that supply Owens Corning's facilities could be eliminated. Owens Corning has $60 million in annual contracts with more than 200 local companies. These businesses could be at risk if Owens Corning stops operating in Denver. "We want to stay here. Our priority is to serve our customers while preserving our operations and jobs in Denver," Shockley said. "But, if the RTD can't make Owens Corning financially whole and provide us a realistic relocation timeline, we would likely have to close our two Denver plants and service our customers from out of state." Owens Corning has been a good and active corporate neighbor in the Denver community for more than 30 years. The company has received numerous awards for its environmental and safety leadership and recently invested $1.7 million on related initiatives at its two local facilities. The company has also generously donated time and money to local causes such as Habitat for Humanity, Brent's Place "For Kids with Cancer" and Adams County's Child & Family Services. It is a member of the Adams County Manufacturing Association and the Colorado Roofing Association and supports the State of Colorado's training grant for employment development. About Owens Corning Owens Corning is a leading global producer of residential and commercial building materials, glass fiber reinforcements and engineered materials for composite systems. A Fortune 500 company for 54 consecutive years, Owens Corning is committed to driving sustainability through delivering solutions, transforming markets and enhancing lives. Founded in 1938, Owens Corning is a market-leading innovator of glass fiber technology with 17,000 employees in 26 countries on five continents. The company owns and operates two manufacturing operations in Denver: A roofing plant, which is the roofing industry's only plant in Colorado, at 5201 Fox Street, and an asphalt plant at 5201 Bannock Street. Additional information is available at http://www.owenscorning.com/. MEDIA CONTACT: Eileen Boyce 312-315-7837 DATASOURCE: Owens Corning CONTACT: Eileen Boyce, +1-312-315-7837, , for Owens Corning Web Site: http://www.owenscorning.com/

Copyright