Paper co. hopes to be running by Thursday; Strathmore fire still under investigation

[ Originally published on: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 ]

TURNERS FALLS -- The fire that blazed through a section of the old Strathmore Paper mill early Saturday morning has temporarily halted paper production at the Southworth Paper Co.

Southworth, which bought the former Esleeck paper mill in 2006, usually produces between 25 to 30 tons per day of cotton-fiber business papers. Since January, it has been running seven days a week, with 60 employees.

But the collapse of a the brick building in the fire severed the 'sludge line,' the pipe through which pulp and solids from the mill's pre-treatment plant travel to the town's wastewater treatment plant, said David Southworth, president of the paper company.

On Tuesday, town officials met with mill officials to speed the process for putting a temporary line into place, so that the mill could get back into service as soon as possible. If all goes as is hoped, Southworth could be making paper again by Thursday.

'It's costing us money not to run the paper machine,' Southworth said Tuesday afternoon. 'As long as (the down time) is under a week, we can manage it, without inconveniencing our customers.'

Montague Building Inspector David Jensen said Southworth was lucky that its own pre-treatment facility wasn't damaged, since it sits next to the destroyed building.

Another tenant abutting the old Strathmore mill is Turners Falls Hydro, which operates a 950-kilowatt hydroelectric generator and water-driven turbine between the Power Canal and the Connecticut River. Manager Peter B. Clark said the company lost its phone lines because of the fire, and suffered a little smoke damage, but was otherwise unscathed.

'Our facility is insulated (from the fire) by a courtyard and by another building,' Clark explained. 'The closest thing to the fire was where our transformers are. We have been inspecting them, and we will have an electrical inspection service check our transformer yard before we start (electricity) generation.'

'It's very sad,' Clark said of the fire. 'We love that building. It's had a lot of history, and it seems like it should have a life.'

Clark wondered who will be responsible for cleaning up the debris and the charred brick at the fire site. According to Jensen, the clean upis the responsibility of the current owner, which is Western Properties LLC, managed by Jerry L. Jones.

On Tuesday, the Turners Falls Fire Department was still dousing small fires in the smoldering debris.

Fire Chief Raymond Godin said the cause remains under investigation and, given the severely damaged condition of the building, determining the cause will not be easy.

Trooper Gerald D. Perwak of the state Fire and Explosion Investigation Section said the fire 'still remains a very active investigation.'

The fire occurred within a week of when the building was to have been sold to John Anctil of the Swift River Group. Anctil wants to put a television and film production studio in the building. However, the sale was blocked by a lien on the property, after an injured building worker filed a civil lawsuit in Superior Court.

When asked if the building was insured, the fire chief, building inspector and town administrator said they believe the building was not. Jones could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is in charge of the hazardous-materials response, and still has booms in the river to contain the chemical spills from the collapsing building. Department spokeswoman Eva Tor said the booms will be left in place for the rest of the week. DEP responders have not found anything particularly hazardous that spilled into the river and will not be testing the river water further, she said.

You can reach Diane Broncaccio at: dbronc@recorder.com or (413) 772-0261 Ext. 277.

 

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