Nov. 8 — Northstar’s movements need to be monitored

There’s good reason for concern about the permit application filed this week to demolish Sumner’s historic Fleischmann’s Yeast Plant. The chemical company, Northstar, which owns the historical property, seem determined to build a chemical farm in the city. Northstar submitted an earlier application for the construction of a chemical storage farm with 24 tanks that would allow a maximum of 240,000 gallons of water treatment chemicals. The specifics were unclear and information presented to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department was so vague the county responded with a letter asking for the exact names of what chemicals would be used. The proposal flared the fears of residents who wanted more details. People worried about a chemical explosion. And the recent accident in Tacoma has only confirmed our cause for alarm. People also worry about the proximity of the location to the post office, the city library and other downtown attractions. In response to these concerns about the original application, the city hosted informational meetings last winter to give the company a chance to respond to questions. No one from the company showed up, which didn’t speak well at the time for any future relationship between Northstar and East Pierce residents. And Sumner residents shouldn’t be quick to forget that they were disregarded by company officials just last winter. This current application relates solely to destroying the yeast plant, which was designed and built in 1912. The buildings on the site were placed on the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2007 Most Endangered Historic Properties list. One of the buildings is eligible to be placed on the national registry. It’s sad that no movement has been made to save them. This application doesn’t involve any further construction, but given the company’s history in the community, it’s important to tread cautiously. Maybe this application is only what it purports to be — a proposal for demolition — but we should be prepared in case it’s a step toward building a potentially hazardous chemical farm that is clearly unwanted by the community.