2006.08.11: August 11, 2006: Headlines: Figures: COS - Tunisia: Politics: State Government: Park Falls Herald: Doyle: 'How sweet it is'
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2006.08.11: August 11, 2006: Headlines: Figures: COS - Tunisia: Politics: State Government: Park Falls Herald: Doyle: 'How sweet it is'
Doyle: 'How sweet it is'
Gov. Jim Doyle received immediate applause from a crowd pushing 2,000 people when he arrived at the Park Falls paper mill during a celebration of its reopening as Flambeau River Papers Monday morning, Aug. 7. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and his wife served as Peace Corps Volunteers in Tunisia in the 1960's.
Doyle: 'How sweet it is'
Doyle: 'How sweet it is'
Large crowd joins governor, Johnson to celebrate reopening of paper mill
BY: GEORGE TRESNAK
The Park Falls Herald
Last Updated: Friday, August 11th, 2006 08:45:27 AM
[Excerpt]
PARK FALLS -- Gov. Jim Doyle received immediate applause from a crowd pushing 2,000 people when he arrived at the Park Falls paper mill during a celebration of its reopening as Flambeau River Papers Monday morning, Aug. 7.
He was applauded again, this time with a standing ovation from the majority already standing and from those occupying about 300 chairs in front of a platform set up for the occasion, when he was introduced by Mayor Tom Ratzlaff.
It was the second standing ovation during the program, after Flambeau River Papers President Butch Johnson was similarly applauded upon being introduced shortly after Ratzlaff announced that Doyle was “on the ground” and headed for the mill.
Doyle, who had been flown in to the Park Falls airport for the occasion, began his remarks with the well-known phrase, “How sweet it is.” Attributing the phrase to Jackie Gleason, he called it an apt description of his feelings on the occasion of the mill reopening in contrast to the “sick feeling” he experienced when he was told in March that the Park Falls mill was closing.
Seventh District Congressman Dave Obey, who was among the speakers preceding Johnson and Doyle, jokingly referred to them as the classic “odd couple” for what they had accomplished in bringing about the reopening of the mill despite their opposite strong party affiliations.
The focus of both Johnson’s and Doyle’s remarks was on the role of many others without whom the reopening could never have occurred.
A theme of bipartisan government, community, labor and management cooperation to achieve a common purpose prevailed in concise speech after speech during the program, which lasted just over an hour.
Hailed by nearly all the speakers besides the mill reopening itself was the promise for the future that ongoing efforts represent, especially in the possibility of the Park Falls mill and subsequently all of Wisconsin becoming a leader in biofuels/ethanol production.
Prior references to that possibility by Park Falls Area Community Development Corporation (PFACDC) representatives and local and state officials linked it to the mill receiving one of three available $80 million U.S. Department of Energy grants for converting paper mills to ethanol production.
Asked after the program about the status of a pending request before the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development regarding use of a $25,000 grant that had been provided to the city to explore the feasibility of an employee stock ownership plan for the mill, Doyle said there was no new information about the request.
The PFACDC had asked that now that the mill is reopening and the $25,000 is no longer needed for the originally intended purpose, the community be allowed instead to use the money to help apply for one of the DOE grants. It was explained earlier that it wasn’t essential that the PFACDC be allowed to use the $25,000 for the grant application, but that it would help. The latest word from the Department of Workforce Development was that the request had been forwarded to the U.S. Department of Labor, which was still considering it. The deadline for applying for the grant is today, Thursday, Aug. 10.
Doyle said he envisioned the state of Wisconsin meeting one quarter of its energy needs through production of ethanol from agricultural and wood resources by 2025, saying it was his hope that the nation and world ultimately would look to the Midwest instead of the Mid-East to meet energy needs. While Doyle and several of the speakers alluded to the DOE grants, the governor did not indicate whether his vision of growing fuel production in Wisconsin was dependent on the state receiving the federal grant money.
Doyle’s live comments were immediately followed by a joint press release from his office and the Department of Commerce stating that reopening of the mill restores 300 jobs for the Park Falls community and creates economic opportunities for timber and other industries in northern Wisconsin.
Doyle recalled that in June, he announced that Flambeau River Papers would receive a $4 million loan from the Department of Commerce to reopen and operate the former Smart Papers Mill.
“Today, Park Falls and Flambeau River Papers are an example of the best Wisconsin has to offer and represent what I am working to accomplish in Wisconsin. This is great news for Park Falls, northern Wisconsin, and particularly the hardworking families who will once again have good, family-supporting jobs in this area,” he said.
Doyle emphasized in the news release that Flambeau River Papers’ successful bid to purchase and reopen the mill with state assistance will restore the 300 jobs that were lost when Smart Papers filed for bankruptcy, and that those same employees are getting their jobs back “as the mill becomes fully operational.” The callbacks began with management and maintenance personnel, and continued as the mill began operation.
The news release reiterated the fact that the $4 million loan from the state is being used for purchase of the facility and equipment and for working capital. The total project cost is $22.7 million, much of which Johnson is providing himself.
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Story Source: Park Falls Herald
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Tunisia; Politics; State Government
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