January 16, 2006
Muskegon Chronicle
Steve Gunn, Chronicle Staff Writer

Muskegon County officials are willing to pay Muskegon Area First an extra $150,000 over the next three years to help recruit companies to locate on vacant county property and produce a lot of wastewater.

The more wastewater that's pumped into the county's treatment system, the lower the fees for existing wastewater customers. Everyone's fees went up about 16 percent recently when Sappi Fine Paper rolled back activity at its Muskegon mill and cut its wastewater production in half.

The Muskegon County Board of Public Works voted Thursday to hire Muskegon Area First to market the county's wastewater management system to companies seeking a new home where such a system is available.

The county's system is capable of treating wastewater produced in many types of industrial activities.

Muskegon Area First will try to convince companies to settle on vacant land owned by the wastewater system in Egelston and Moorland townships and Whitehall Township. Big producers of wastewater, like food processing companies, will be the main targets, according to officials.

About 2,000 acres could be available for industrial use in the Egelston/Moorland area, while another 700 acres could soon be available at the recently closed Whitehall Township wastewater site.

Besides creating jobs and adding to the county's tax base, new companies would increase the flow into the county's wastewater management system, thereby lowering fees for current wastewater customers.

Current customers took a hit last year when Sappi, the county's top wastewater producer, announced it was shutting down part of its Muskegon operation and cutting its wastewater output.

The action dropped the overall daily flow into the wastewater system from about 26 million gallons to about 18 million gallons per day.

Sappi, like other customers, pays the county a fee for every gallon of wastewater it discharges. With Sappi's wastewater flow cut in half, and the costs of running the wastewater system largely fixed, the per-gallon fees for the other customers increased about 16 percent.

That increase went to the 14 cities and townships that belong to the county wastewater system. Most of those cities and townships passed the extra costs on to their residential and commercial sewer customers.

County officials have already been trying to lower the fee burden by attracting new industries. For instance, they've been negotiating to sell about 600 acres of vacant wastewater property to Timothy den Dulk of Coopersville for the establishment of a 600-acre dairy farm on the property.

That effort is ongoing, and county officials hope to seal the deal this spring, according to Kendrick.

But more than a dairy farm will be needed, according to officials.

Last fall, the Muskegon County Wastewater Management Committee, comprised of representatives from the 14 cities and townships that belong to the wastewater system, asked county officials to spend more money to market the wastewater system and its vacant acres.

County officials then turned to Muskegon Area First, a nonprofit agency dedicated to attracting economic investment to Muskegon County.

The county is already a member of Muskegon Area First and pays annual dues, but another $50,000 per year was necessary to hire a full-time staffer who will work exclusively on wastewater promotion, according to James Edmonson, president of Muskegon Area First.

The agency will pursue several strategies to lure new companies, according to Edmonson.

They include developing a Web site to promote the wastewater system, preparing and distributing brochures about the system, preparing testimonials from current wastewater customers and working with client firms in Holland and Chicago to identify target companies.

Another goal for Muskegon Area First will be identifying new "hauled waste" customers for the wastewater system. The number of gallons of wastewater shipped in from other counties has been increasing and offsetting the loss of local flow.

Officials would like to generate even more of that type of business, Kendrick said.

But more than a dairy farm will be needed, according to officials.

Last fall, the Muskegon County Wastewater Management Committee, comprised of representatives from the 14 cities and townships that belong to the wastewater system, asked county officials to spend more money to market the wastewater system and its vacant acres.

County officials then turned to Muskegon Area First, a nonprofit agency dedicated to attracting economic investment to Muskegon County.

The county is already a member of Muskegon Area First and pays annual dues, but another $50,000 per year was necessary to hire a full-time staffer who will work exclusively on wastewater promotion, according to James Edmonson, president of Muskegon Area First.

The agency will pursue several strategies to lure new companies, according to Edmonson.

They include developing a Web site to promote the wastewater system, preparing and distributing brochures about the system, preparing testimonials from current wastewater customers and working with client firms in Holland and Chicago to identify target companies.

Another goal for Muskegon Area First will be identifying new "hauled waste" customers for the wastewater system. The number of gallons of wastewater shipped in from other counties has been increasing and offsetting the loss of local flow.

Officials would like to generate even more of that type of business, Kendrick said.

But more than a dairy farm will be needed, according to officials.

Last fall, the Muskegon County Wastewater Management Committee, comprised of representatives from the 14 cities and townships that belong to the wastewater system, asked county officials to spend more money to market the wastewater system and its vacant acres.

County officials then turned to Muskegon Area First, a nonprofit agency dedicated to attracting economic investment to Muskegon County.

The county is already a member of Muskegon Area First and pays annual dues, but another $50,000 per year was necessary to hire a full-time staffer who will work exclusively on wastewater promotion, according to James Edmonson, president of Muskegon Area First.

The agency will pursue several strategies to lure new companies, according to Edmonson.

They include developing a Web site to promote the wastewater system, preparing and distributing brochures about the system, preparing testimonials from current wastewater customers and working with client firms in Holland and Chicago to identify target companies.

Another goal for Muskegon Area First will be identifying new "hauled waste" customers for the wastewater system. The number of gallons of wastewater shipped in from other counties has been increasing and offsetting the loss of local flow.

Officials would like to generate even more of that type of business, Kendrick said.