Friends,
Rumors of bugs and rodents at Pillsbury are greatly exaggerated by door-to-door exterminator salesmen. We have heard this story several times in the past couple of weeks. Apparently part of the pitch is to scare people with tall tales of critters exiting Pillsbury as the buildings are demolished. They paint an ugly picture in hopes of landing a contract for services. Shameful!
Facts: There is very little evidence of bugs and rodents at the former Pillsbury site. The food sources for critters are long gone (spoiled grain and fly-dumped garbage). Extensive efforts have taken place this past year to remove all fly-dumped garbage at the site. Moving Pillsbury Forward volunteers, generous donors, City Public Works, and the Sangamon County Department of Public Health coordinated efforts to address this important Public Health issue from day one. Many dumpster loads of fly-dumped garbage were removed within the first few weeks of MPF ownership last spring. Today, the community is benefiting from a greatly improved chronic public health issue that had existed at the site for many years. This was the first major victory for the Pillsbury Project!
News
Site Progress: The propane shed and fenced area at the SW corner of the Administration building came down last week. The metal was recycled. Another step forward for the Pillsbury Project. MPF continues setting the stage for large-scale remediation and demolition activities later this year.
Upcoming Tour Dates & Times: Ground Level Tours at 10:00 am and Noon are scheduled this Saturday, April 22nd, and Saturday, April 29th. The walking tours last about 1 hour. An exhibit of collected tools and memorabilia will be on display. Donations are accepted but not required.
Volunteer Opportunities: MPF is looking to expand our volunteer base. If you are interested in volunteering for research, exhibits, oral history project, tour guide, and site maintenance work activities please contact us at:
Timecards: We have a good supply of new in-the-box Pillsbury timecards (2000) found in the plant office storeroom. MPF is making them available to former Pillsbury employees and their families. Just write in your favorite employee’s name. They are great scrapbook keepsakes!
Pillsbury Employee Gathering: In conjunction with our Noon tour on April 29th, we would like to invite former employees for a group photo. We anticipate taking the photo in the front yard (plant in background) at Noon. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the day! We hope to do several interviews for our oral history project as a part of the activities.
Thank you for being a part of the Pillsbury Project!
Chris / Polly / Tony
