VOLNEY, N.Y. — Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup announced the long smoldering silo fire at the former Miller Brewing and Attis Ethanol facility in the Town of Volney has been extinguished and the emergency declaration has been rescinded.
Weatherup, District 9, signed an emergency order in late October that triggered a public-private partnership to extinguish the fire and remove the burned materials from inside the silo that caught fire earlier this year. County leaders took the lead and put an end to a months-long ordeal at the abandoned property, with crews snuffing out the fire and disposing of the materials at the local landfill following Weatherup’s Oct. 24 emergency declaration.
The emergency declaration was rescinded by Weatherup last week, marking the end of the firefighting and cleanup effort at the site.
“I’m pleased to report the smoldering fire at the former Miller Brewing/Attis Ethanol facility has been completely extinguished and the last of the burnt material from the silo has been removed,” Weatherup said. “We’re happy to provide relief to nearby residents who dealt with the smell for far too long, and with the fire out we now look forward to a rebirth at the site.”
Weatherup said the site has the potential to be a job-creating asset for Oswego County and the region, and county leaders expect the search for a new owner for the facility will be accelerated with the fire extinguished.
“Now that the fire is out, we are confident the process of finding a buyer for the facility will be expedited and the property will soon be put back to productive use,” Weatherup said.
Oswego County Legislature Vice Chair Linda Lockwood, who represents the Town of Volney, thanked the crews who put out the fire and the state and local leaders who played a role in the process. Lockwood, District 11, said she was happy to finally provide relief for the residents of Volney and Fulton who have been dealing with the nuisance for months.
“The end of this fire will improve the quality of life for nearby property owners,” Lockwood said. “It also allows the county and its partners to move forward with finding new ownership for the facility and returning the property to productive use.”
Oswego County continues to work with Brooklyn-based Highscore Capital, a creditor owed millions by former owner Attis Ethanol, to find a buyer for the site. An agreement between the two parties calls for Oswego County to receive proceeds equal to Attis’ unpaid taxes upon the sale of the property, and Highscore would retain excess funds to recoup some of its losses.
The former Miller Brewing site is uniquely positioned to capitalize on current market conditions that have seen rising oil and energy costs across the globe. Minimal improvements are needed to restart ethanol production at the Volney site, which has been offline since early 2020. With the fire extinguished, the property is more attractive to prospective buyers and county officials will push to have the site sold and revitalized.
The revival of the former Miller Brewing/Attis Ethanol site would be another positive for southern Oswego County, specifically the Town of Volney and City of Fulton, the latter of which is undergoing a $10 million injection into its downtown after winning the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative in 2020.
“This site will play a critical role in the economic growth of southern Oswego County and the City of Fulton,” Weatherup said. “We’re confident this site will provide good-paying jobs and complement other development and investment in the area, including global chipmaker Micron’s multi-billion-dollar investment just across the county line. Our region is poised for considerable growth in the coming years, and this site will be just one part of a larger resurgence.”
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After they ruined the outdoor summer months for many residents for not acting faster they want an atta boy and a pat on the back
This is 12 days late and $60,000 short. This news was announced at the Nov. 10th Legislative meeting. Moving like a snail to address the issue County had the ability to go in and put the smoldering out 5 months earlier but failed to act. It was all about the money not the people…very sad.