Watco will close Wood River Dome, costing 88 employees their jobs
Watco Co. LLC has announced it will close the Wood River Dome, a long-standing landmark, on Sept. 27.
On Tuesday, officials from Watco confirmed to the Alton Telegraph that the company would be closing its Wood River mechanical shop. The move will cost all 88 employees at the location their jobs, the Telegraph reported.
The local government has been notified of the closure under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act, which requires companies to give at least 60 days’ notice when companies employing large numbers of workers will lose their jobs, the report stated.
“It came as a complete surprise to me,” Wood River Mayor Cheryl Maguire said. “I received notice Friday afternoon.”
About 69 of the eliminated positions will be union positions represented by the United Steelworkers of America in Granite City, the report stated.
Tracie VanBecalaere, communications director for Watco, told the Telegraph the building was the only geodesic dome railcar facility left in the U.S.
The facility was built in 1959 for the Union Tank Car Company, the report stated.
The Wood River Dome has changed ownership many times, but has always been in use, according to the newspaper. The future of the building is not yet clear.
“At this time, there are no future plans for the property,” VanBecalaere said.
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