Category: News

Friends,

MPF switched gears for a little bit today and addressed a vacant lot issue in the neighborhood.  

A block from the Pillsbury front gate at the corner of 16th St. and Matheny St. is a vacant lot.  The deed is held by the County Trustee.  The City of Springfield thankfully removed the dilapidated vacant house that stood there just two years ago. The vacant lot has not been mowed since last year.

Today we mowed.  The stop sign on the corner was obscured by the weeds and the sidewalk was not accessible. We witnessed a neighbor walking in the street on his regular morning walk because the sidewalk was overgrown with weeds.  Well…tomorrow he can use the sidewalk!

The thinking here is simple…see a problem, fix a problem.  It’s the little things that add up to a better quality of life.

UPDATE:

Thanks for the encouragement and questions related to yesterday’s lot mowing email.  Here is a bit of follow-up detail for those who have asked:

When reviewing the ownership of 1537 Matheny Ave. (Parcel # 14-26.0-151-020) we find that a woman named Victoria McCall owned the property and last paid taxes in 2015.  Until today it was not known what happened to her.  This morning a long-time neighbor on the block told me that “Vicky and her husband moved to Texas several years ago.  He died a short time later.  Vicky now lives in West Virginia.”  It is fair to say that they simply walked away from the property and started anew in Texas. 

Well…that explains why the property was eventually (over an 8-year period) taken for back taxes and the deed is now held by the County Trustee.  Individual property rights and the legality surrounding it move slowly in situations like this one.  Unfortunately, it happens all too often in distressed neighborhoods and creates a negative spiral. 

Long-term solutions are hard to find in these situations.  The short-term solution this week was mowing. 

Thanks again for the encouragement and great questions.

Chris Richmond
pillsburyproject.org

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward is pleased to announce two additional funding commitments totaling nearly $2,000,000.

On May 25th the USEPA announced an award of nearly $800,000 for cleanup at the Pillsbury site. We applied for this funding in November after our Phase II Environmental Site Assessment and building surveys were completed earlier in the Fall. The surveys allowed us to calculate the amount of remaining asbestos and other contaminants in the buildings. The award will be utilized to complete remediation (contaminate removal) within all remaining buildings at the site.

Over the weekend (May 27th), the State budget passed with $1,200,000 awarded to Moving Pillsbury Forward. These funds will primarily be utilized to continue demolition activities at the site. As the buildings are remediated and demolished, public safety in the area increases and so do the redevelopment opportunities. We appreciate the efforts of Senator Turner in getting this accomplished on behalf of the Greater Springfield community.

Moving Pillsbury forward now has over $6,000,000 in commitments for the project at the Local, State, and Federal levels. In the coming weeks we will continue to raise funds, complete the necessary environmental review process, and prepare bids for remediation and demolition contracts.

Together we are moving forward – THANK YOU!

Chris / Polly / Tony
pillsburyproject.org

Saturday, April 29th, 2023 was a special day for former Pillsbury employees who attended our public tour. They all seemed to enjoy visiting and talking about their days at Pillsbury. It was wonderful to see them interact and tell their stories.

A huge thank you goes to local photographer Frank Bowen, who made the following images and gave them to us for use on our website.

Frank should get an award for the photo of the three retired guys! He really captured what the day was all about for the former Pillsbury employees. 34 former Pillsbury employees appear in the group photo.

Chris Richmond

(click to see larger photo)

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward had a great turnout for general public tours on Saturday, April 29. More than 80 people attended the 10:00 am tour. Another 100-plus attended the noon tour after the group Pillsbury Employee photo was taken from the front lawn. In total, MPF hosted over 400 people for tours in April. Tours will resume again in late summer. Dates will be announced in advance as they get scheduled.

We had 34 employees in attendance for the group photo on Saturday. Loved seeing them together again! It was a great day for a reunion photo. The photo attached was taken on a personal phone. Our photographer’s photo is published on our website!

Thank you all for making this special day a success.

Chris / Polly / Tony
pillsburyproject.org

Friends,

On April 7th the Propane Shed and fenced area at the southwest corner of the Administrative Building was demolished and cleared from the Pillsbury property. All of the metal was recycled. The area was cleared to enhance safety, open sightlines, and prepare for larger demolition activities.

Many small steps have taken the Pillsbury Project a long way. The attached photos are a visual example of yet another step. We invite you to drive by and take a look now. A dramatic improvement! Especially for the neighbors right across the street.

We appreciate the continued generous support of the community. Please, join us for scheduled public tours this Saturday (4/22) and next Saturday (4/29). Tour times are at 10:00 am and Noon. Parking is inside the main gate at 16th & Phillips. The ground level tours take about an hour.

Chris / Polly / Tony

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

Friends,

March has been another active month for the Pillsbury Project. We have news to share.

The Doughboy research continues. We are now looking carefully at the control panel with the “Bicep Doughboy”. We dusted off a manufacturing tag on the back and hope to know more soon. If there is anyone who has information on early doughboy images (i.e. photos in scrapbooks, old-timer stories, or a signed “Wilky” image) please contact us at:

We struck a deal with All American Reclaim to purchase a portion of the Warehouse #4 lumber this month. Two Semi-Trailer loads (20,000 board feet) of Pillsbury reclaimed lumber headed to their shop on March 22nd. It will be available soon to anyone with interest. AllAmericanReclaim.com/updates-and-new-products/

Spring Tour Dates: Saturday Ground Level Tours at 10:00 am and Noon are now scheduled for:

• April 15th
• April 22nd, and
• April 29th.

The walking tours last about 1 hour. Donations are accepted but not required.

Download MPF News for 2023.03.31… (PDF)

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 Pillsbury timecards (2000) found in the plant office storeroom. MPF is making them available to former Pillsbury employees and their families. They are great scrapbook keepsakes!

Pillsbury Employee Gathering: In conjunction with our Noon tour on April 29, 2023, 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

This article was originally published March 30, 2023 in the Illinois Times by Don Howard.

Moving Pillsbury Forward was formed in 2020 for the specific purpose of completing remediation of the [old Pillsbury flour mill] property to make the site more attractive for redevelopment and took control of the property March 24, 2022, exactly one year before the Citizens Club meeting.

“When we started, the situation looked hopeless, but all of us agreed that hopeless is not acceptable,” said [Chris Richmond, president of Moving Pillsbury Forward]. He said that about 12,000 people live within a one-mile radius of the facility, and cleanup of the site will have a broad, positive impact on the northeast Springfield neighborhood where it sits.

Richmond estimates that remediation will take three to five years and cost upwards of $12 million. During last month’s Springfield City Council budget hearings, $2 million was earmarked toward the project in the city’s FY 2024 budget. The organization was also awarded $2 million in congressionally directed funds in December 2022.

In spite of the fact that the project has yet to be fully funded, demolition work has already begun and work is progressing in close coordination with the Illinois and U.S. EPAs.

According to Richmond, Moving Pillsbury Forward is committed to increasing citizen involvement in plans for the eventual configuration of the property. The organization continues to hold informational meetings at public venues, and actively seeks volunteers who assist with mowing and cleaning up brush, small trees and litter at the site. Moving Pillsbury Forward also offers guided tours of the facility.

Polly Poskin, vice president of Moving Pillsbury Forward, said that while cleanup of the site involves people from all over the city and beyond, the work most greatly benefits one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Springfield. In adjacent neighborhoods, “Twenty-five percent of the population does not have a high school diploma, and the median household income is about $25,000,” said Poskin. She sees this effort as directly confronting the problem that poor communities are more likely to suffer from a lack of clean water and air and a lack of safe housing. These conditions are often the direct result of industrial facilities’ frequent proximity to low-income neighborhoods. According to Poskin, poor residents are rarely at the table when decisions are made about how to deal with industrial sites and the pollutants they produce.

Read the full article at illinoistimes.com…

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward is pleased to announce that the City of Springfield’s new fiscal year budget ordinance passed late last night with $2,000,000 included for the Pillsbury Project. The City of Springfield fiscal year (FY24) begins March 1st.

Download the February 22, 2023 Update… (PDF)

We, the MPF Board of Directors, are grateful for your support. Three years ago when we asked community members to consider how they could help advance this project dozens of people responded. Many people gave great advice, actively volunteered, and donated resources to cover needed expenses. Many people gave encouragement and provided inspiration…the necessary fuel needed to carry on…moving this project forward has not been a cakewalk to say the least (the sheer number of lawyers and political folks involved was intimidating!).

We, as a whole community, are getting this needed project done! We moved beyond the hopelessness that existed, we took control of the situation, and we advanced the Pillsbury Project to a much better place. Today we celebrate another milestone advancement for the project. Tomorrow we continue on…with more fuel…and a heightened sense of pride in our community.

Thank you!

Chris Richmond, Polly Poskin, & Tony DelGiorno
Moving Pillsbury Forward
pillsburyproject.org

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward continues to advance the Pillsbury Project. We appreciate your continued support. Here is the latest update:

Moving Pillsbury Forward, NFP (MPF) formed in 2020 and began a 5-year community redevelopment plan for the 18-acre former Pillsbury Mills site in Springfield, IL

• 2021 MPF built organizational capacity / positioned to acquire the property
• 2022 MPF acquired the 18-acre site and initiated assessments and cleanup
• 2023 MPF plans to begin remediation and a sequenced demolition of on-site structures
• 2024 MPF plans to continue remediation and demolition activities
• 2025 MPF plans to complete site preparations for redevelopment

2022 Accomplishments

• Completed acquisition of the 18-acre property on (March 2022)
• Completed a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (August 2022)
• Completed site cleanup and grounds preparation for demolition (October 2022)
• Technical Assistance granted from USEPA (October 2022)
• Completed a USEPA Cleanup grant application for $800K (November 2022)
• Awarded $2M in Congressionally Directed Funds (Dec. 2022)
• Calculated volunteer on-site efforts at $158,000 for 2022

2023 Accomplishments to-date

• Demolished Unsafe Warehouses # 4 & #5 (January 2023)
• Deconstructed the Forklift Shed & Chlorine Shed (February 2023)
• Received full demolition analysis from USEPA contractor (January 2023)
• Received redevelopment analysis from USEPA contractor (February 2023)

Next steps

• Continue demolition of smaller site structures not needing remediation
• Continue working with government partners to pursue full project financing
• Continue community engagement (public meetings/site tours)
• Continue documenting site (photographs/oral histories)

Download the February 21, 2023 Update… (PDF)

Moving Pillsbury Forward has developed a roadmap for success at the former Pillsbury Mills site. We know what needs to be done (remediation and demolition), we know the costs ($9.1M), and we know the community benefits (public safety, social, environmental, health, and economic) to be realized. We are prepared to take the project to completion with the appropriate level of public funding. We secured a $2,000,000 Congressionally Directed Request from Senator Durbin in late 2022. In 2023 we will continue working with our government partners to provide the remaining funding ($7.1M).

Thank you,

Chris Richmond
President, Moving Pillsbury Forward
pillsburyproject.org

p.s. Site tours, volunteer opportunities, and oral history projects will be announced in the coming weeks. Please, stay tuned for dates and details. We recognized the value in capturing the great memories associated with the former Pillsbury Mills site.