TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — After Sumitomo Rubber shut down more than one month ago, leaving more than 1,500 people without a job, all eyes are on what to do with the sprawling facility in the Town of Tonawanda.
“It is a long road," Town Supervisor Joe Emminger said. "A lot of 2 million square foot users in our region who need it. So, you know, it's going to be a nationwide search, I would imagine, you know, looking for industrial users of the site.”
Emminger and Assemblyman Bill Conrad said they toured the facility earlier this month with members from Sumitomo and other top officials.
“I thought it was very productive," Emminger said. "Everybody trying to just get our hands around, you know, what's out there, and trying to get a reuse for the site.”
“I have to say, though, you know, we're watching folks come in to gather their belongings, and that was really tough to watch,” Conrad said.
Last month, Sumitomo said the closure came after a hard look at the facility's viability. The abrupt closure caught many by surprise.
WATCH: 'No clue that this was coming': Workers react after suddenly losing their jobs
“From the town standpoint, you know, you're losing tax revenue," Emminger said. "You know, on the site, they're still gonna be paying taxes, but, you know, at some point, they're probably not gonna be paying what they are now."
Emminger and Conrad said that eventually there will be a national real estate firm that will come in and do an analysis of the site.
“We discussed getting, essentially, a grant to contract an RFP with someone that could go in and evaluate the business,” Conrad said.
Following the closure and tour of the facility, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced a task force to address the fallout from the closure.
"The Task Force includes representatives from my administration, New York State, the Erie County Industrial Development Agency, the ECIDA’s Industrial Land Development Corporation, the Town of Tonawanda, Workforce Buffalo, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and several others. This is a strong collaboration of business and governmental partners with a focus on not only getting former Sumitomo employees into new jobs but also securing the best possible future for the site," Poloncarz said in a statement.
The Regional Development Corporation (RDC), which shares a board with the Erie County Industrial Development Agency, approved the allocation of $500,000 to create a loan fund for Sumitomo workers who lost their jobs and want to start their own businesses.
The money is from RDC's small business loan fund. Details about the program will be shared next month.
“We want to make sure that it gets put back in the hands of a manufacturer and to continue that industrial base,” Conrad said.
“We got to be a little patient, because we got to do what's right. Got to do what's right for the community,” Emminger said.
Emminger said it will take at least a year for the facility to wind down.
