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Township waives building permit fees for Pine River Cheese upgrade |
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 Despite the sign, the Pine River Cheese Factory is not expected to re-open for six months | ||||
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Huron-Kinloss council has agreed to waive building permit fees to help rebuild and upgrade the Pine River Cheese factory after fire damaged it Sept. 7. At the council meeting last night (Oct. 18), plant manager Bill Rutledge said the fire caused a lot more extensive damage than was initially thought. It began on the second floor in the northwest corner, he said, and then smoke spread rapidly through the entire plant, causing further damage. The entire factory must be gutted, all equipment and pipes removed, and the electrical components upgraded, said Rutledge. Thankfully, he said, 98 per cent of the equipment in the plant was saved because the soot was wiped off it within a week of the fire. Otherwise, it would have all been lost. As for blocks of cheese which were salvaged, they were all reboxed and shipped to an off-site storage facility within two-and-a-half weeks of the fire, he said. "About 80 to 85 per cent of the stock was saved," said Rutledge, "and sent to an alternate facility." He said the top priority is to replace the entire roof - work is expected to begin by the first week of November. The next priority, he said, is to set up a facility to cut and package cheese and get it into the marketplace. This should happen within the next three to four weeks, he said. "Over the long haul, we need to get our customers back," said Rutledge. "Stores like Loblaws don't care what product they have on their shelves as long as they have product." He said re-opening the retail store is about the fifth priority on the list. "Ninety per cent of our sales are in the marketplace." Rutledge said it will be about six months before the factory will be back up and running, and manufacturing cheese on-site. While there is no estimate of the damage, he expects it will be in the millions of dollars. Turning to council, he requested the township waive the building permit fees for the reconstruction of the factory because the 25-year-old building requires significant upgrades - electrical, structural and mechanical. He also asked council to give some consideration to the extensive landfill fees required to dispose of the damaged material from inside the building, including a lot of insulation. Rutledge reminded council that the company brings a great influx of people to the township, is a major employer, and has a substantial tax base. Councillor Jeff Elliott asked if the insurance company covers building permit fees. Rutledge said business interruption insurance covers costs up to a certain point. "We want to keep as many staff on as possible," he said. "If you lose these skilled workers, related to the cheese industry, you won't get them back. We're being penalized by keeping these people working."
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He is not sure exactly how much the building permit fees would be until he consults with chief building official Matt Farrell. "The store has to be completely gutted and all the stock in there was thrown out, as dictated by the public health inspector," he said. "We managed to salvage 80 to 85 per cent of our stock but it's in 40-pound blocks so we need to set up an alternate facility to cut and package it." He said Pine River Cheese is also working with a cheese company in Belleville to manufacture product in the interim. "I think we should give them some credit and help with the re-building," said councillor Don Murray. "They are one of our largest employers." "We can support this industry, for sure," agreed councillor Lillian Abbott. "We could also help out with the landfill fees." Rutledge said there was some concern about whether the heritage display upstairs had been damaged by the smoke and fire. It was set up, using some pieces from the Bruce County Museum, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Pine River Cheese Factory. "Those items have been cleaned up as well," he said. "I was concerned about the quilt my aunt made for the 100th anniversary - it was saved." As for the landfill fees, he said some of the damaged material was taken to sites in Kincardine, Tiverton and Ripley, and included a lot of steel, insulation and some product. He expected the steel from the roof would be taken to a recycler. "Any help you can offer us (with fees) would be appreciated," said Rutledge. "I would support waiving the building permit fees and giving some consideration to the landfill fees," said Murray. Council agreed. Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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