The mayor of Middletown says a memorial park is being planned to honor six workers who were killed and dozens of others who were injured a year ago in a power plant explosion, The Associated Press reports.
Employees of contractors rebuilding the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown marked the explosion’s first anniversary Monday with a private ceremony at the facility, and dozens of other people attended a memorial Mass at a local church.
The under-construction power plant exploded on Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 7, 2010, when natural gas ignited after accumulating with air in tight quarters as workers cleaned pipes at the 620-megawatt facility. The ignition source has not been pinpointed, and police are still investigating whether any people or entities should face criminal charges.
Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said Monday that Kleen Energy and its largest contractor, O&G Industries, plan to create a memorial called Contemplation Park near the plant to honor the dead and injured workers. He said they are working with a memorial committee and others to design the park.
The plant has been almost completely rebuilt and is scheduled to open in April.
The facility exploded when something ignited the 400,000 cubic feet of gas and air that had accumulated during a procedure called a gas blow, in which high-pressure natural gas is pushed through pipes to clear debris.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration later imposed $16.6 million in fines against companies involved in the blast, though several companies have appealed and the amounts could be reduced depending on the outcomes of their appeals.
Attorneys also have filed lawsuits on behalf of more than a dozen injured and deceased workers and their families.
More than 100 workers were on the site and nine subcontractors were working there at the time of the explosion.
Six men were killed: Raymond Dobratz Jr., 58, of Old Saybrook; Peter Chepulis, 48, of Thomaston; Ronald Crabb, 42, of Colchester; Chris Walters, 48, of Florissant, Mo.; Roy Rushton, 36, of Hamilton, Ontario; and Kenneth Haskell, 37, of New Durham, N.H.
