Sappi down, scrap yard up in Muskegon

[UncleRaul]

Much to the dismay of locals (it's right on the edge of a residential area) the former Sappi paper mill in Muskegon has been torn down and will be a metal scrap yard owned by Melching instead. Wonder if they'll use rail... ?

Edit: That's Melching, not Melcher as I had previously said. I'm an idiot. Here's the latest word:
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/inde ... ermit.html

From the picture, it looks like they kept the old piano factory intact. I'm assuming it served as offices for Sappi? Haven't been by there in a few years.

[Saturnalia]

Much to the dismay of locals (it's right on the edge of a residential area) the former Sappi paper mill in Muskegon has been torn down and will be a metal scrap yard owned by Melcher instead. Wonder if they'll use rail... ?

So they got by the Nimby's officially?!?! I'm surised if they did

Tracks are confirmed intact all the way until the plant, past the old sotrage areas. Switch still connected to the Mainline. Pretty good chance we'll see parades of Gons headed up the lakeshore! Especially if they have a high-volume, which looks pretty likely.

[Mr. Tops]

Been meaning to post some iPhone photos of the tear down process.

This...


...is now this:










All of these shots are of the old receiving dock on Lakeshore Dr at the foot of Lincoln St, where SD Warren and then Sappi received their paper pulp by rail and truck.

Article doesn't say anything about rail, just water. If they are going to have high volume, barge is the way to ship. Sure, the tracks are still in place, but that doesn't mean they'll be using rail. It'd be nice, and is still an option if they so choose....we will see. Muskegon needs more industry after losing Sappi and the impending shut down of the BC Cobb plant in a few years. I'd much rather see industry then more face-flopping residential lakefront developments. Can't buy nice lakefront homes/apartments if ya ain't got a job!

[Proto48Patrick]

I've done a ton of work in that plant over the previous ten years before they closed. Good people, good place to work (if you like crappy plants....which I do )

[Saturnalia]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/inde ... ap_ya.html

The current area of foucus has shifted to weather or not the "I-2" Industrial zoning allows for water-based transportation. The legal documents pertaining to the Sappi site only speak of Railroad and oad transport, and is silent on water transport. The scrap company has submitted plans the the Michigan DEQ about constructing two docks for barge shipping: http://media.mlive.com/chronicle/news_i ... DEQApp.pdf

City Commissioners are looking into the problem, as some citizens sream and whine about the posibility of a scrap yard on the old Sappi Site. A non-binding vote on Nov. 6th could force the City Planning Commission to re-consider weather or not to change the zoning, but the vote cannot force a change.


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Still no mention of any rail shipping. I'd say it doesn't look too good, because the scrap yard would be used mostly for local projects done my Melching. Never say never though......the plans for a scrap yard aren't even official yet.


Post any more updates here as they come

[tadman]

Sheesh I'd rather have a scrap yard than a paper mill any day of the week. Don't paper mills stink?

[AARR]

Sheesh I'd rather have a scrap yard than a paper mill any day of the week. Don't paper mills stink?

Sometimes, but they also create more jobs per square foot.

[KenB]

Yes, if I lived there I would much rather have a scrap yard with their hand full of employees paid at ten bucks per hour and their open burning than a paper mill that has a lot more people paying a nice range of wages keeping a lot of railroad workers, truckers and timber cutters employed. The stink is the smell of MONEY! and this State needs a lot more high paying , skilled jobs.

[Saturnalia]

Maybe someone could build a wind turbine manufacturing plant! Muskegon could ship by lakes too. Lots of upcoming projects in the Midwest that need parts!

Wishful thinking, isn't it great?!

[Mr. Tops]

Don't paper mills stink?

Not necessarily. The bit that smells is a pulp mill. Sappi (and SD Warren before that) smelled for years when the pulp mill was active until the late-90's/early-00's. The pulp mill closed, wood pulp trucked in and the smell went away. The smell itself not very offesive, just slightly funky. Of course, maybe I got used to it over the years...it was one of those 'familiar smells'.

[Proto48Patrick]

as a tradesman, the SMELL of money fed my family for 8 or 9 years before they closed. If I recall, they stopped using the digesters back in the mid 2000. I remember walking to the economizer side of the power plant while they were running logs and every great once in a while the process would kick out a full log that it didn't like for whatever reason. It only took one close call for me and I stayed well away from that section LOL

[intocable83]

Friend of mine lives at the top of the hill within stones throw of this massive mill and her only complaint is the massive shaking the demolition is causing but you can almost get a clear view of the lake from her house now. I'm assuming her home along with the rest in her neighborhood were probably built for the mill workers since they all are quite tiny and of the same design. Spent this past weekend there visiting and the flashing light on the old towers still lit up the living room at night, next time I'm out that way that last bit of life left in the old place will be long gone too.

[Saturnalia]

Thought I'd throw this out here on a related note: The City of Muskegon appears to be interested in the BC Cobb Generating Plant. They are said to be looking into purchasing it and turning it into a muninciple power plant. However, this is not very likely, and the city officials acknowledge it. Something to watch however.

[Proto48Patrick]

I can also chime in about Cobb. One of the reasons it is being closed is that it would be too expensive to have to update the environmental controls. I work there almost every outage. Again, great place to work, great employees. This will hurt Muskegon when they close it ( if it ever really does happen) Weadock, Whiting and Cobb employ a lot of people outside their normal operating crews. We spend a lot of money in those communities. Will be a sad day when they lock the doors

[Saturnalia]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/inde ... d_mar.html

Some other proposals Melching is looking at....


http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/inde ... ner_o.html

Also, a Q & A session, and some picutres taken recently