Wild River Foods Not Rebuilding

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Story Published: Oct 9, 2008 at 6:26 PM PDT

By Sade Malloy

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Grandview -- Never say never but as of right now one of Grandview's biggest employers isn't coming back. Wild River Foods doesn't expect to rebuild the plant that burned this summer. Back then more than 100 people lost their jobs and the city lost one of its biggest taxpayers.

It's like a ghost town here at Wild River Foods no one's here and the only work being done is tearing down what's left from the fire.

Grandview's largest industrial consumer is no more and not likely to come back.

Wild River Foods doesn't expect to reopen the Grandview potato plant.

Matt Kitzke says, "Actually there were like three people that I knew that worked there and they've had to find work else where one of them actually had to move out of town."

This is video from July after an electrical fire in the plant destroyed the lot.

Some hoped the fire was just a temporary set back but when you tack on today's economy it's made it difficult to rebuild.

One hundred and forty people won't go back to work and Grandview is out nearly $1 million a year for a town already strapped.

Sade Malloy, Action News says, "Would you consider this a large economic blow to Grandview?"
Norm Childress, Grandview Mayor says, "It is an economic blow the loss in revenues from the utility tax revenue is about $70,000 a year and the impact to our water and sewer fund is about $850,000."

There are no employees left at the plant but Wild River Foods is looking at other ways to use the land.

Jerry Radach says, "I'd like to see Grandview do well and the more people we employ here in this area the greater that is."

Grandview might have to make up for that by raising utility prices.

Grandview city officials are already meeting with their engineer consultants and are trying to figure out the least expensive way to the change the water ad sewer rates.

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