TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Four months after Sumitomo Rubber Industries abruptly shut down its facility in Tonawanda, leaving 1,500 employees without jobs, the Sumitomo Rubber Plant Closure Task Force is moving forward.
The task force met on Thursday. The initiative is to assist the affected workforce and transition the site for future use.
Town Supervisor Joe Emminger said this will be a long process.
"We're making progress; that's the important thing," he said.
The task force is focused on finding appropriate users for the expansive property, which spans 2 million square feet.
Emminger highlighted the necessity of ensuring that any future developments align with the town's vision.
"You got to have the right users that are going to be acceptable to the town. We're just not going to allow anything to go in there," he added.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said that efforts are underway to secure a real estate company that specializes in large-scale property transactions.
"Our goal is to find partners in the future that are going to create jobs at that site," Poloncarz noted.
The county executive also said there is a need to collaborate with Sumitomo to acquire the site.
"Right now we don't own it; Sumitomo does," he said. "So we're gonna need to work with Sumitomo to acquire the site. I think we'll be able to do that, but it's gonna still take some time."
Regarding the affected employees, the task force noted that some have opted for early retirement, found new jobs, or are taking the time to reevaluate their careers.
Poloncarz said he was surprised that only about 320 former workers applied for unemployment benefits.
"We do know that there are others that are working, and you do not get unemployment benefits if you are employed, but the impact on the community has not been as great as people feared," he said. "But we are concerned about not only individuals who haven't found a job, but also the future of the site."
There are currently three companies interested in potentially developing the property, but the process will require time and patience.
"I feel, five years from now, this is a multi-year process, but five years from now, I feel like there's going to be a party in there doing work associated with the tech hubs in New York," Poloncarz said.
Assemblyman Bill Conrad, who also attended the meeting and represents the Town of Tonawanda, announced that he will be meeting with the Japanese consulate in Albany soon. The discussions will focus on understanding the circumstances surrounding the plant's closure and improving communication for the future.
"What happened here? How do we avoid it? And can we have better communication, especially as we have so many companies right here off the river road that are multinational? You know, they're not in one country, they're all over the world, and that's the economy that we're in right now," Conrad said.
Meanwhile, Supervisor Emminger confirmed that there is still some activity within the plant, but he expects all operations to cease by October.
