Erik Valentino of MPS to be part of team conducting Association for Preservation Technology Delaware Valley tour on October 28th for the Coplay Cement Company Kilns in Coplay, PA. This tour will be conducted by Preston Hull of Building Conservation Associates and Brian Wentz, PE, CDT of Keast & Hood, and Erik Valentino from Masonry Preservation Services. They will discuss the history of the site, deterioration and preservation issues, and future plans for the kilns. These masonry structures represent a unique chapter in cement manufacturing and have been the focus of recent research and restoration efforts. The nine vertical kilns, now standing in the middle of a community park, were constructed of locally made red brick between 1893 and 1904 and were utilized for the production of Portland cement. They are the last remaining examples of the vertical kiln type in the US and possibly the world, having been made obsolete soon after their construction by the introduction of the more efficient rotary kilns. Once part of a complex of cement plants along the Lehigh River, the kilns were fortunately saved from the demolition of the rest of the site in 1951. However, today the kilns are deteriorating dramatically.