After closing the operation in Adrian in February 2010 – Hydro had been producing aluminium tubing – the company went to work on demolition and then remediation of the 33-acre-large site. But first, Hydro offered the land to the local community. The seven members of the Madison Township board, led by supervisor Larry Richardson, accepted the offer, pending remediation of all contamination issues.
The Adrian site had been in use since 1939, when the plant began manufacturing magnesium parts for the United States' World War II war effort. Hydro acquired the plant from Bohn Aluminum & Brass in 1990.
Madison Township has about 8,500 residents. Its unemployment rate is about 15 percent, says Richardson, who was voted in as township supervisor in 2008 after spending 40 years in law enforcement locally, including eight as sheriff of Lenawee County.
He says Hydro stood by its word throughout the process, from the closure announcement in March 2009 to restoration of the site. "It is good to deal with people who know what is going on," says Richardson.
"I'm happy the company decided to give us the land rather than put it up for sale. It was just a surprise. In my years here, since 1966, this is unusual. Normally, they sell it. Being a good neighbor, I suppose. You know, we also tried to give more incentives to Hydro, being a good neighbor, to get them to continue operations. But it was a done deal. There was nothing we could change.
"I have to say that they have done everything they said they would. The board was most concerned about that, when they voted to accept the land. But Hydro has done what they said and that is all we can ask for."
Richardson says the local government has no solid plans for the property at the moment. "We are working with officials in other hard-hit cities on business development in general. I'm confident something will happen,” he says.
"We have to move on. As they say, life is uncertain but death is for sure. We thank you for the years that the company has been here. The people who worked for Hydro said it was a good place to work. We are losing some of our tax base so it is going to hurt our budget.
"For me personally, the real hurt is for the people. But the township will survive."
