Friends,
Moving Pillsbury Forward is moving ahead with requests for proposals on both remediation and demolition of site structures now that all of our compliance reviews have been completed. It has been a long haul getting to this point. We appreciate everyone supporting and hanging in there with us. We look forward to 2025 being the year where existing environmental site hazards are alleviated and demolition of large structures brings a sense of renewal to the area. This is the moving forward we have all been aiming at for over 5 years now! Here is the link for any company interest in completing a proposal:
https://qcpi.questcdn.com/cdn/posting/?projType=&group=1004&provider=1102641
Now, we are asking former Pillsbury employees to join us for one last group photo in front of the employee names wall on Friday, November 22 at 1:00pm. The Pillsbury employee names wall was created this past Spring by local artist Jen Santarelli. She is the granddaughter of longtime Pillsbury worker Walter Santarelli who began his career in 1941. We have over 1300 names on the wall formally titled “Roll Call”. The community response to this installation these past several months has been wonderful.
The plan is to have our preservation photographer, Ben Halpern, take a high-resolution group photo for the official archival record. The group photo (and all other preservation photos) will soon be archived and publicly available at the Lincoln Library Sangamon Valley Collection. This image, to be taken on-site, with the names and the employees is sure to be a powerful statement about what our Springfield PIllsbury plant meant to us as a community.
Employees and families are welcome to come to the Dock #107 entrance (corner of 16th St. and Phillips Ave.) beginning at noon on Friday, November 22. We are glad to have individuals and families take personal photos with the wall this one last time. Our scheduled rain date (if the weather will not allow for a good photo) is Friday December 6 at 1:00. Note: The wall area is accessible by ramp for those with mobility issues. We will have volunteers present at Dock #107 to arrange access.
A limited number of engraved Pillsbury bricks will be available during the photo event on Nov. 22
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
~ Team Pillsbury