by Dennis Dalman
Long-time litigation over a parcel of land in Sartell has come to a new agreement, with the city taking control over an industrial landfill once owned by the Verso Paper Mill Co.
On Memorial Day 2012, there was an explosion and fire at the historic paper mill in Sartell. One employee died in the catastrophe. Later, in that same year, the owner of the mill, Verso, decided to close the plant permanently. The decision shocked and saddened people far and wide who had worked at that plant, which was a Sartell landmark and economic foundation for more than a century.
After the 2012 disaster, the shut-down plant and its property was purchased by American Iron & Metal LLC, a Canadian-based company that specializes in recovery and recycling scrap-metal by-products. In the next couple of years, AIM transported enormous tons of recyclables from the site, leaving it a ghost of its former self.
When the City of Sartell learned later that AIM intended to re-open a paper-mill landfill on 167 acres along Fourth Avenue South in Sartell (a site AIM had also purchased), city officials were concerned because that area is right in the heart of the city and near the Mississippi River, which caused city officials concerns about dangerous pollution from an ongoing landfill site.
On Oct. 11, 2021, the City of Sartell approved a purchase agreement with AIM to buy that site. Long before that agreement, starting in 2016, the city had been in litigation with AIM to prevent a continuance of that site for landfill purposes. Sartell planned then and later to close the landfill, plat the land and sell the property for future development in order to recoup the purchase costs paid to AIM for the property.
Since then (the original purchase agreement with AIM), amendments to it were requested by both the city and AIM. Once the purchase agreement is approved by the city and by AIM, each party will have 60 days to meet the proposed amendments and proceed to a closing deal.
The original agreement between the city and AIM was to include the former Verso Paper Mill (owned by AIM) that would be platted by AIM in preparation for a known sale to a private company for future development.
However, despite that previous understanding, the amended purchase agreement does include the former paper-mill site for its property west of the railroad tracks at that area as under the jurisdiction of the city. The property east of the site is currently under a lease between AIM and the local Rock Solid Church.
The properties in question will be under the purview of the Sartell Economic Development Authority.
For years, Sartell residents and city officials have wondered what will become of the large paper-mill property site: park land? apartments? industrial? business? retail shops? Any subsequent developments will depend upon environmental reviews and interest by potential developers.
In the meantime, city officials are now confident that the city can prevent the former landfill site of Fourth Avenue S. from being used as an ongoing landfill.
This photo shows the industrial-waste site along and near Fourth Avenue South (south of the form police department) and to the northeast the site of the former Sartell paper mill. The area marked as “Not Included” shows the area in which a church and AIM Development have reached a lease agreement for the site of the church.
