Marcus Hook residents shaken by news of Sunoco refinery shutdowns

Marcus Hook calls itself "the cornerstone of Pennsylvania." But the small riverfront borough, sandwiched between two oil refineries, now worries that part of its foundation might crumble if Sunoco ends up closing its operation there.

Unease in the tight-knit community of 2,400 has been palpable since the company's announcement Tuesday that it was ending refinery operations. Sunoco said it would close those in Marcus Hook and South Philadelphia in July if buyers for them could not be found.

Residents and merchants fear local businesses and a cherished way of life may be hurt. With the community so dependent on the plant, which employs 400, they are concerned about everything from the loss of tax dollars to increasing crime and the possible ecological impact from an empty facility.

On Wednesday, American flags waved from the porches of rowhouses. Sandbags from Hurricane Irene were still set against houses facing the river and a tidy park.

In a graveyard next to the Bible Presbyterian Church a block from the waterfront, a chemical smell permeated the air. Names on the headstones - many fallen over or sinking into the soft earth - have worn thin.

For decades, a young man could find "a good job, a union job," in one of the plants that defined the region, said Tim Dorman, 49.

A third-generation Sunoco worker until he was laid off in 2001, Dorman recalled how Sunoco took care of families with turkeys at Thanksgiving, bonuses at Christmas, and generous pensions.

There were loads of sports leagues for children.

"Everywhere you looked, it was sports. Now, it is just not there," said Dorman, a postal worker in Millsboro, Del., and the youngest of three boys.

On Wednesday, he was preparing to sell his late father's house a block from the refinery. He wonders whether he will be able to get the price the family wants.

At Italiano's restaurant on West 10th Street, owner Mario Giambrone said he has had a lot on his mind since the news first broke.

"It is definitely going to cut into our business," said Giambrone, who employees 12 full- and part-time workers. "We are going to have a mini-depression here in Marcus Hook."

Outside on Green Street near her house, Alicia Warner, 26, crouched on the driveway with a laptop. She was trying to set up a cellphone account online by piggybacking Internet service from a neighbor's WiFi.

"We had to cut a few things to be able to survive," said Warner, a stay-at-home mother of two. They are thinking of moving to South Jersey or Delaware, she said. The only job her husband has been able to find is at a Wendy's.

Whatever happens with the refinery, the community is familiar with hard times.

At Marcus Hook Elementary School, about 75 percent of the nearly 300 students are at the poverty level, said principal Jim Adair.

"I don't see it getting any better with this happening," he said. Already a number of his students' families have moved in with relatives to try to make ends meet. "People can't afford the houses. People just don't have jobs."