Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania last week beat out Equitable Gas inthe bidding to provide service to new commercial and residentialbuildings that are slated to be constructed on a former LTV steelsite on the city of Pittsburgh’s South Side. The site, which isowned by the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), currentlyis in the midst of major redevelopment.

Columbia Gas bid $880,000 to cover the costs to expand itsdistribution system by about 2,000 feet to the 110-acre site, andto expand the gas infrastructure within the site by severalthousand feet as construction is completed. The effort got underwaylast Friday.

Some buildings already are under construction at the site, and”some pretty serious development” is expected to begin in the firstpart of 1999, said Mike Belsky, economic development manager forColumbia Gas. When the redevelopment effort is completed, thedistributor expects to serve an additional 300 residentialcustomers, up to 75-100 commercial users, and possibly some lightindustrial customers, he noted.

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