Category: News

Friends,

We had a visit this week from Anne Vogel, our EPA Regional Administrator. She came to see the Pillsbury site and the cleanup progress that has been made possible with over $3M in grant funding from EPA. She oversees EPA Region V which includes all of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate how the grant funds are being spent and why it is so important for our community.

The largest part of the cleanup at this stage of the project involves the removal of the silver paint coating on the silos and headhouse. It has approximately 5% of asbestos content and has been problematic for years. Once this 290,000 sq. ft. surface coating is removed, we can demolish these structures and recycle the estimated 70,000 tons of concrete.

These cleanup funds were a critical component in bringing the overall project together. The cleanup must be completed prior to demolition so that renewal at the site could take place. In just a few short weeks, the silo cleanup will be completed, and we can move forward to the much-anticipated large-scale demolition aspect of the project. All the smaller structures at the site have now been cleaned up and removed.

A special thank you to Frank Bowen, our volunteer Pillsbury Project photographer, for attending the site visit this week and providing great photos. He has been there for nearly all our big events and has produced an impressive photo catalog of our various site activities.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

The number one question asked by community members these past few weeks is: How will the big buildings come down? Will they be imploded? Well, the answer is no. We investigated it. The cost savings were just not there, and the liability concerns were also a big factor in our decision to go with the tried-and-true methods of using a wrecking ball and hydraulic crushers. It is cost effective and much safer than using dynamite…just not quite as fast.

A big crane (an American 9260 model) was delivered to the site last week. It came on several semi-trucks and will likely be put together in the coming week. This 300,000 lb. machine should be enough to get the job done!

Cleanup contractors continue to make good progress at the site. The buildings have now been cleared of an estimated 90% of all remaining asbestos. Several of them are now fully prepared for demolition to begin. Coordination with the contractors has been excellent and we anticipate that July will be the month when the big demolition begins.

We are not certain of the building demolition sequence just yet, but we will be sure to keep everyone informed. We do know that the silos and headhouse will be the last to go. Cleanup crews are about one-third complete with the silver paint removal project prior to demolition. They will remain on-site completing this job for another two months. With the paint removed, we can then demolish the silos and recycle the estimated 70,000 tons of concrete used in their construction. A big cost savings for the overall project!

Thanks for being a part of this important community project.

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward continues to see good progress both at the former Pillsbury site and around the entire Pillsbury Neighborhood.

About a dozen local laborers have been working each weekday at the site preparing for and removing asbestos floor tiles in buildings these past two weeks. This work will continue for several more weeks in a systematic fashion until all buildings are cleared.

Two buildings have been fully prepared for demolition. The two-story locker room building (7300 sq. ft.) and the two-story Warehouse #1 (21,000 sq. ft.) are scheduled for demolition first. These two buildings are at the south end of the site and are anticipated to be demolished later this month.

Visitors along 15^th Street this week will see workers beginning to remove the silver coating from the silos in preparation for demolition later this year. Workers will be hanging on “swing scaffolding” and using a high-pressure water misting system to remove the silver coating that was applied 60 years ago. This activity will be ongoing for about 3-4 months. Engineers have estimated that 260,000 sq. ft of coating will be removed.

MPF Volunteers have kept active in the Pillsbury Neighborhood this month. More than 12 vacant neighborhood lots have been cleared of excess vegetation, garbage, and tree branches from the June 29, 2023, derecho storm event. It has been a long recovery for this older neighborhood since that time. We are glad to have helped advance the recovery. We also edged over 800 feet of sidewalks! This was a big improvement along 15^th St.

We will continue clearing lots and alleyways in the coming months. The aim is to improve the quality of life for residents of the entire neighborhood. If you would like to join us, please stop in at the 15^th St. field office. We have volunteer teams working on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8am to noon every week. We have all the tools necessary, and the work is rewarding.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project.

~ Team Pillsbury

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