Ideas of what to do with the 133 acre property ranged from the practical to the far-fetched.
IDEAS OF WHAT TO DO WITH THE FORMER FRASER PULP MILL PROPERTY IN BERLIN RANGED FROM THE PRACTICAL TO THE FAR-FETCHED.
SOME WHO GATHERED AT BERLIN JUNIOR HIGH's AUDITORIUM SUGGESTED ATTRACTING A LARGE HOTEL OR RE-LOCATING THE CAMPUS OF the nearby TECHNICAL COLLEGE TO THE 133-ACRE SITE.
AN ARTIST’S RENDERING ON AN EASIL SHOWED ANOTHER IDEA - A MODERN WATERFRONT COMPLEX COMPLETE WITH RIVER-WALKS, A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY AND A BIO-DOME.
BERLIN RESIDENT PAUL CUSON PROPOSED THE NIGHT's MOST INTERESTING CONCEPT - PRESEVING ONE OF THE MILL’S FIVE TOWERING SMOKESTACKS AND USING IT TO SPARK SOME TOURISM.
CUT-CUSON1
(“...PUT AN ELEVATOR IN THE CENTER OF THE SMOKESTACK AND AN PUT OBSERVATION PLATFORM AT THE TOP. MAYBE A SNACK BAR UP THERE , WHO KNOWS - AND JUST HAVE 360 DEGREE PANORAMIC VIEW OF TH - 50 MILES OUT â€)
AND THERE WERE PLENTY OF OTHER IDEAS.
CUT-MILLVOICES
(“...COLLECTION OF IDEASâ€)
CITIZENS ALSO DISCUSSED WHETHER THE SITE might BE USED FOR SO-CALLED “COMBUSTION†PROJECTS - SUCH AS A RUMORED WOOD-CHIP POWER PLANT. BERLIN MAYOR BOB DANDERSON STRESSED THAT AT THIS POINT NOTHING SHOULD BE RULED OUT.
CUT-BOB
(“...WHAT WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT IS NOT SCARING AWAY ENTREPRENUERS - WHERE THEY THINK ITS ‘WE DON’T WANT THIS, WE DON’T WANT THAT. NO WHAT WE WANT TO BE SAYING TO THEM IS WHAT IS YOUR IDEA. LET’ SEE IF IT FITS OUR COMMUNITY.â€)
OF COURSE, THE BRAINSTORMING SESSION WAS JUST THAT - A PLACE FOR IDEAS, AND ONLY IDEAS. THAT’S BECAUSE THE CITY OF BERLIN DOES NOT OWN OR CONTROL ANY PART OF THE MILL PROPERTY. THE MICHIGAN BASED NORTH AMERICAN DISMANTLING CORPORATION OWNS THE PROPERTY AND for now their aim is to tear it down.
COMPANY OFFICIALS WE’RE NOT PRESENT AT the meeting, BUT THEIR LAWYER WAS. BOW ATTORNEY JACK CRISP WAS ON HAND TO OBSERVE. HE WAS ASKED ABOUT THE COMPANY’S PLANS FOR THE SITE BUT WOULD SAY ONLY THAT NO final DECISIONS have BEEN MADE.
CUT-CRISP
(“I THINK ITS TOO EARLY IN THE PROCESS FOR THEM TO REALLY KNOW. I MEAN WE’VE ONLY OWNED THE PROPERTY FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. WE’RE JUST GETTING GOING ON THE DISMANTLING PROCESS. NORTH AMERICAN IS IN THE DISMANTLING BUSINESS - THEY’RE NOT REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS. THEY’RE WIATING FOR DEVELOPERS TO COME FORWARD AND THEY’ LL TAKIT FROM THERE..â€)
NORTH AMERICAN DISMANTLING SAYS IT SHOULD BE ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE THE PLANT IS FULLY DEMOLISHED.
