Pictured is an artist’s rendering of the reconfigured Wells Enterprises ice cream production plant, which was approved Wednesday afternoon to proceed.Photo by Braden Carmen
One of the city of Dunkirk’s major employers is here to stay. A substantial reconfiguration of the Wells Enterprises ice cream production plant on Main Street in Dunkirk has been approved by the city Planning Board.
“This commitment made by Wells is a commitment to the city. They are here to stay, here to employ residents of the City and the surrounding area. Overall, I’m personally very excited to be part of this project,” said Mike Metzger, developer of Metzger Civil Engineering.
The site plan of the project was given its conditional approval at a meeting Wednesday afternoon, based upon submission of required documentation. The project also received a negative declaration to the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) document.
“Wells is looking to make vast, vast improvements to the facility to upgrade and make it more efficient, to keep it strong economically,” Metzger said.
The project will proceed in three phases of construction, with the plant remaining in operation throughout the project. The first phase of construction will begin this spring, with each phase expected to take roughly a year to complete.
“We feel that the project itself will be less impactful in many ways than the existing site. It will be less impactful to the neighborhood itself because it’s a more condensed site, traffic patterns will be improved, and the overall aesthetics will be improved,” Metzger said.
Preliminary plans for the project were presented to the Planning Board in August. The previous meeting gave Metzger and Wells confidence to move the project forward. “We’ve done a lot of work since then,” Metzger said.
The project spans nearly 16 acres of land, with the current production plant accounting for approximately 238,000 square feet. While the overall site will be condensed from its current layout, the new facility will amount to 355,000 square feet, with three stories at various parts of the facility, including locker rooms for employees and office space. The Dunkirk Zoning Board of Appeals granted two variances for the project, related to setbacks and height.
“I think the team has done a tremendous job with the architecture of that,” Metzger said. “It’s a beautiful building that will be an attribute to the city.”
Of interest to nearby homeowners, according to Metzger, the “vast majority” of truck traffic in and out of the facility will take place off Route 60 onto Ice Cream Drive, rather than off Main Street in the city.
Multiple homeowners in the neighborhood of the production plant sold their homes to be demolished to allow for an expansion of the site. One homeowner, Josephine Tooley, refused to sell her home and will remain at her residence while the plans proceed at the surrounding area.
A major point of interest for the City of Dunkirk regarding the project is the replacement of an old water line that provides water to operate the plant. Metzger stated that as part of the project, Wells will be relocating and replacing the water line and absorbing the cost, at no cost to the City.
The current site has approximately 40% of green space, but the project will incorporate the planting of over 80 trees as it approaches 50% of green space on site. “The aesthetics will be drastically improved,” Metzger said.
Regarding the storage of ammonia at the new facility, which will be stored outside the production plant, David Fiore, director of operations at the Wells Production Plant in Dunkirk, said, “It will be a big load off of me, I can tell you that much. The new system that’s going in is going to be state of the art, much safer than it has been over the years.”
Fiore, who has been overseeing the production plant for approximately four years, is proud to see the project move forward to provide a more professional and efficient environment for the site employees.
“We’re just so excited,” said Fiore. “With what we’ve been dealing with, trudging through, and what the employees have been able to accomplish, I’m just excited for them. Coming into a place like this, as opposed to what they have been subjected to for quite a long time, it’s just going to be really cool.”
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