As 2012 comes to a close, the restoration of the Saylor Cement Kilns in Coplay still has not begun.

The project, however, is expected to move forward in 2013, according to Glenn Solt, Lehigh County director of general services.

A total of nine brick kilns are located directly north of the Coplay Parkway and next to the Ironton Rail-Trail.

Solt said the kilns restoration was pushed back by other projects such as the Hokendauqua-North Catasauqua Bridge and the West Catasauqua-Catasauqua Bridge. Mentioning he may retire at the end of 2013, Solt said the kilns are a priority for him.

The $330,000 budgeted in 2012 for the kilns project is not lost. The funds are being rolled over to 2013.

"It is not going away," Solt said.

Drafts are being prepared for RFPs (requests for proposals) early next year for engineering studies to recommend what the restoration project should involve and the projected costs.

"We are looking at a practical approach for the kilns," Solt said. "The kilns have to be preserved in some fashion."

At some point next year, Solt said, he will meet with Coplay officials about the project.

Coplay Cement Company played a major role in the early development of the cement industry in the country.

The first Portland cement was manufactured in 1871. The company in 1892 constructed 11 Schoefer kilns standing 93 feet tall. The kilns, a modified version of those originally developed in Germany, were in use from 1893 to 1904, then replaced by rotary kilns. The kilns are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The kilns were originally protected from the elements by an outer building, which was demolished in the 1920s. They have since deteriorated from the weather.

Turned over to Lehigh County more than four decades ago, the kilns were the centerpiece of a museum. However, a Plexiglas dome resulted in problems with moisture, ruining some of the artifacts. The county removed the Plexiglas roof.

In 2000, the county capped four kilns with the input from a borough citizens committee after county leaders contemplated tearing them down.