Category: News

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward has had a busy early Spring. We have contractors on site working on cleanup activities, our scheduled public meeting took place this past week, and our volunteers with Team Pillsbury have moved outside the fence line at Pillsbury.

Select Demolition crews have been on-site staging equipment and setting up for silo abatement and cleanup of buildings. A crane was utilized this past Friday to deliver equipment up to the roof of the silos. Simultaneously, other crews began the process of preparing buildings for full abatement in the coming weeks. On any given weekday, there may be more than a dozen workers on site.

The MPF public meeting at the Lanphier High School auditorium was well attended last Wednesday. Team Pillsbury volunteers placed 700 fliers throughout the neighborhoods surrounding Pillsbury and we had generous media coverage. Local citizens were able to hear about the timelines, means and methods of abatement/demolition, and ask questions. We are thankful that the overall evening program was a success. Special thanks to District #186 for hosting this event.

Team Pillsbury volunteers made the necessary switch to working outside the Pillsbury property fence line this month as we turned the site over to the contractors. Our team is now focusing on neighborhood cleanups. These past two weeks we have assisted with the cleanup of two alleyways and 6 vacant lots in the neighborhood. Good things are happening here!

Finally, neighbors have experienced a significant increase in traffic around the plant due to onlookers. We welcome visitors but ask that they remain mindful of the speed limit and stay clear of the main gate on 16^th and Phillips Ave. The safety of neighbors, visitors, and workers remains a priority. We have set up a visitor viewing area on the west side of 15^th St. between Enterprise and Division. Please, stop in and see us on weekdays. We have plenty of parking, seating, memorabilia, and available bricks. We are glad to have you stay for extended visits. This is a comfortable place for celebrating our rich Pillsbury history and the renewal that is taking place before our eyes.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project.

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward is pleased to announce that we have signed contracts for full cleanup and demolition of all structures at the former Pillsbury Mills site in Springfield. Yes…ALL STRUCTURES AT THE SITE WILL BE DEMOLISHED IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS!

Select Demo Services ( https://www.selectdemo.com/ ) will begin mobilization to the site next week to begin cleanup and removal of the remaining asbestos at the site. Lead paint chip removal will also take place. These activities are anticipated to begin in April and end in early September. This aspect of the overall project has been made possible through USEPA Cleanup Grants. These grants have allowed us to develop a project design that reduces overall project costs and recycles over 70,000 tons of concrete from the 160 silos at the site.

MPF is looking forward to working with GreenTrac ( https://greentrac.us/  ) on building demolitions and site rehabilitation in the coming months. We anticipate that they will mobilize equipment to the site in late April and complete site work in March of 2026. They are an Illinois-based company that has a great track record in Springfield for working well with our local workforce. Local projects they are involved in include: the State Capitol Complex improvements, demolition of the 11^th St. former Salvation Army building, and demolition of the former IEPA building at 10^th St. & North Grand Ave.

Fehr Graham Engineering & Environmental ( https://www.fehrgraham.com/ ) is our firm that is responsible for overall site coordination and management services. These services include soil, water, and air sampling through the duration of the project. We (MPF) have listened to the concerns of the community and have developed a rigorous perimeter and site safety monitoring protocol.

 A designated demolition viewing area along 15^th St. has been set up at the former Pillsbury employee parking lot east of 15^th St between Enterprise St. and Division St. MPF volunteers have a field office set up in a 40ft shipping container. Seating, shade canopies, and bottled water will be available most weekdays. We hope to make this an inviting community gathering place and honor the rich history of the site while also looking forward to renewal for the community.

MPF has begun to plan for a public meeting to engage questions and comments from the community about the overall Pillsbury Project. We anticipate an announcement in the coming days as we firm up a date, time, and location.

Yes…It has been a long time in coming! An incredible community effort has finally made it happen! Thank you for being a part of this important community project.

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

Here are a few items to consider:

• MPF is anticipating a full demolition of all structures at the site in the coming year. We are working on final contract details currently. We will be certain to let everyone know when the big equipment moves in and begins.
• Long time Pillsbury Neighborhood Association President John Keller passed this last month. He was a key member of Team Pillsbury. We will have the flags out for his funeral procession on March 6^th at 10:30am. Visitation is from 4-7:00pm on March 5^th.
  • https://www.parkfuneralhomesinc.com/obituary/John-Keller?utm_campaign=marquee-share-button&utm_term=copy-link&utm_content=Share
• Frank Bowen has been our Team Pillsbury site photographer and photographic coordinator for nearly three years now. He has taken thousands of site photographs and coordinated photographic tours at the site. His volunteer efforts have been extraordinary. Now, he has developed two Facebook pages for public viewing/uploading of site photography. One for the art aspects and one for the plant itself. The site is visually spectacular, and we believe that this is a great way for everyone to view the site safely.
  • https://www.facebook.com/people/Springfield-Pillsbury-Art/61569842526059/
  • https://www.facebook.com/groups/509749288053853
• Today marks the 5^th anniversary of the Moving Pillsbury Forward working group presentation to City Counsel where we presented our initial 5-year plan for cleanup, demolition, and renewal at the site. Well…what a long way we have come! And we can see the finish line just ahead of us. Hollywood could not have scripted a better story about how a community can come together and tackle a massive challenge. And…it is all documented on our webpage.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

John Keller, longtime Pillsbury Neighborhood Association President and advocate for the Pillsbury Neighborhood that he called home for decades, passed this week. John was many things in life (student at Bunn Elementary School, husband, father, business owner) but first and foremost in the later years he was a person that cared deeply about his neighbors and his beloved Pillsbury Neighborhood.

All you need to do is Google Springfield Pillsbury/John Keller and you will quickly see that he was on the record in the media for over 20 years working to find long-term solutions for how best to deal with the former Pillsbury Mills site that closed permanently in 2001. He carried the voices of the neighborhood to city hall and beyond. There were many years of slow going and backsliding, but he never gave up. And he embraced the Moving Forward Working group as we formed to see what could be done to improve the dismal situation after the infamous dog incident in October of 2019.

Moving Pillsbury Forward joined John and his neighbors in late 2019. Together we studied the issue carefully and designed a plan. A plan that would take several years to play out. A plan that has nearly advanced to the favorable outcome we have all been driving towards. A plan that has gathered over $9.0M in commitments and is looking ahead to large-scale demolition in the coming months.

Today, we pray that John’s spirit remains with us as we continue forward and see the Pillsbury Project through to a successful conclusion: Cleanup, Demolition, and Renewal. We know that our success is due in part to his unwavering efforts over many years and we admire his grit and tenacity.

THANK YOU, John Keller! May you rest in peace.

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

2024 marked another year of great accomplishments for Moving Pillsbury Forward and the Pillsbury Project. Functionally, we secured an additional $4M in cleanup and demolition funding, we recycled over 600 tons of materials from the site, and we completed all the necessary government reviews so that large-scale demolition can take place in 2025. In addition, we continued to connect with the community in a variety of ways: community gardening, public presentations, employee stories collection, historic site tours, street art and art exhibits, and one incredibly unique Illinois Symphony concert.

Here are the highlights in brief:

• MPF coordinated 3 Pillsbury Neighborhood cleanups (May, August, November)
• Micro-Pantry partnership averaged 100lbs of food per week (all year)
• MPF volunteers recycled over 100 tons of metal throughout the year (all year)
• Over 100 archival quality photos were taken to document the site (all year)
• Over 100 street art paintings were completed by more than 30 artists (all year)
• 300 lbs. of vegetables were harvested from the community garden(summer)
• Partnered with APL to spay/neuter on site feral cats (February)
• $1M in Community Development Funding awarded from Rep. Budzinski (March)
• 200 people attended the Pillsburied Exhibit opening (March)
• 600 people attended Spring Tours (April)
• 500 tons of brick were recycled at the site (April)
• $2.6M in cleanup grant funding awarded from USEPA (May)
• 1300 employee names were artfully placed on the “Roll Call” wall (May)
• 30% of collected artifacts & documents were recovered from Adams St. fire (June)
• All EPA site review elements were completed (July)
• Over 200 people attended the SAA opening for the Pillsbury Art Exhibit (September)
• All federal HUD review elements were completed (September)
• 300 people attend the Illinois symphony concert in the C-Mill (September)
• Requests for proposals went out to contractors for demolition (November)

The Pillsbury Project is much more than working through the difficult mechanics of demolishing buildings and moving toward redevelopment.  The Pillsbury Project is about people coming together, taking control of a tough situation, and improving the quality of life in Springfield. 

Thank you!  We appreciate everyone being a part of advancing the Pillsbury Project.

Now…let’s be prepared for demolition in 2025!

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

As a part of the overall Pillsbury Project we have had the pleasure of hearing many stories about the workers at Pillsbury. To date, Archie Comstock is the earliest known retiree from the Springfield Pillsbury plant. His granddaughter recently shared his story with us. And we are glad she did!

Archie Comstock was born on September 7, 1884 in Minneapolis, MN. His father, Frank Comstock, worked for Pillsbury Mills in Minneapolis. When Archie was a young man he joined his father in working for Pillsbury Mills and the two of them traveled around to different cities to help set up new mills. As experienced millers, Frank and Archie were a great asset as Pillsbury Mills expanded in the early twentieth century. 

In September of 1937, Archie Comstock came to the Springfield plant. He had been given the option to transfer to Springfield IL or Buffalo NY. He chose Springfield because he felt the winters would be less harsh. In Springfield, the new C-Mill had just been built as a major expansion that doubled flour milling capacity at the plant. Archie had the experience needed to set up and run the new mill.

Archie,his wife Isabel, and their young daughter Avalon, became longtime residents in the Pillsbury Neighborhood. They purchased a house at 1023 N 14th Street, just a block from the plant. Many workers at the plant lived in the neighborhood and walked to work. At age 65, Archie retired from the Springfield Pillsbury plant in 1949. 

Archie was an avid reader and traveler in his retirement years. He kept active and even painted the exterior of his house on 14th Street at age 88. After a long retirement, Archie passed away in 1983 at the age of 98. His daughter Avalon and her 4 children still lived at the house on 14th Street. Avalon remained in the house until 1992. 

Thanks for being a part of this important community project. And, special thanks today to the Comstock family descendants for gathering and sharing their rich story with us.

Happy Holidays

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forwards has a few project advances to report on as we move into this Holiday Season.

·       MPF put out requests for proposals for both remediation and demolition of all remaining structures at the site in mid-November. We had 60 contractors come to our mandatory on-site visit day on December 4. This was a great turnout. The bid process will continue into January. More news will follow as contractors are selected to do the work throughout 2025.

·       MPF coordinated another Pillsbury Neighborhood cleanup in early November. We collected a pile of used tires, televisions, over 30 pieces of furniture (mostly sofas and mattresses) and filled a 30-yard dumpster with general household garbage. Yes, fly-dumping is still a serious issue in the neighborhood. Public Works has been great to work with. We are optimistic about seeing lasting improvements going forward.

·       MPF brought together former employees and family members for group photos on November 22. Archival photos were taken in front of the “Roll Call” wall where local artist Jen Santarelli placed over 1300 names of former Pillsbury employees gathered these last few years of the Pillsbury Project. The photos and artwork are powerful statements about the impact of Pillsbury on our community over the decades. The photos will be a part of the publicly available Pillsbury archive at the Lincoln Library in the Sangamon Valley Collection.

·       Resident artist Alex Smith wrapped up several months at Pillsbury in late November. He produced well over 100 art pieces while on-site. Many of the portable pieces went with him to his homebase in Minneapolis. Galleries in both Minneapolis and Los Angeles are anticipated to exhibit and sell some of his works. Many of the pieces were on exhibit at the Springfield Art Association throughout September. The wall art that remains at Pillsbury has been captured in high quality photographs and will be the subject of future public programs. Stay tuned.

·       Pillsbury artifacts from the site remain in storage. MPF is hopeful of finding a permanent home for the collection. About 30% of the artifacts survived the downtown fire in June. The collection is an important element of work life and the industrial history of Springfield. MPF will continue to work with community leaders in finding the best long-term home for these pieces of our recent past.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

Happy Holidays!

~ Team Pillsbury