Smurfit hopes to finalize a sale by the end of the year
ONTONAGON -- New business can't come soon enough for the people of Ontonagon. It’s been eight long months since the Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation closed its doors and laid off nearly 200 people. But Ontonagon County Prosecutor Jim Jessup says help may be on the way.
He's been talking with the company officials on a regular basis this summer and expects to hear some good news when they speak again on September 15.
"It appears they have one particularly interesting offer for the site that would bring in several green businesses,” says Jessup. “It looks like it's progressing smoothly."
The open communication is a nice change for residents who've been fighting since Smurfit permanently shutdown last December. They fought to keep the power going, and when the power was turned off in February, they fought harder.
Jessup says their letter writing campaign got the company's attention.
"It started with a few hundred and then mushroomed into a second letter writing campaign with over 2,200 letters. I think it's been instrumental in keeping them involved in the sales process," Jessup says.
Many writers were residents who'd lost their jobs when the mill closed.
Despite the setbacks, Village Manager Scott Frazer says they never gave up on their community.
"We’re not willing to settle and move on,” says Frazer. “We have to persevere and be diligent in our efforts regardless of what happens with the mill."
Smurfit told Jessup they’re hoping to sign a purchase agreement with a company by the end of August. If that happens, the company could close on a sale by the end of November.
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