Write a commentWorking together, Huhtamaki, Inc. and the City of Fulton have completed several Downtown Revitalization Initiative, (DRI), projects at the facility, said Fulton Mayor Deana Michaels, as well as others in planning and under way.
“Huhtamaki’s support and partnership in our DRI program has helped us move forward from the very beginning,” Michaels said. “ We are extremely grateful for their enthusiasm and long-range commitment to an improved and growing Fulton.”
“Our DRI project is assisting us with our efforts to sustain our manufacturing footprint in the city of Fulton,” said Mark Southwick, Huhtamaki Fulton plant manager.
“We are pleased to again partner with the City of Fulton and Mayor Michaels to sustain good jobs to residents of our community while continuing to produce high quality packaging to meet the needs of our customers.
“Huhtamaki Inc. will invest approximately $2,2 million in this project,” said Southwick. “Huhtamaki and its predecessors have operated at this location since 1883 and Huhtamaki is the largest manufacturing employer in the City of Fulton. This facility manufactures paper packaging for consumer goods and food service.
“This project will upgrade and improve existing buildings and machinery to support Huhtamaki’s operations including a new roof on the finished goods warehouse, outside beautification of the grounds and buildings, replacement of a failing and obsolete freight elevator, and purchase new manufacturing equipment. This project will enable Huhtamaki to retain and position the plant for the future. The project property consists of multiple two-story buildings used for manufacturing and warehousing raw material, work in process materials, and finished goods products. The aesthetic site improvements will include pedestrian improvements along a cut-through currently utilized by many Fulton residents.”
Huhtamaki worked with the City of Fulton on aesthetic and pedestrian improvements on the State St. cut-through from Rt. 481 to S. First St. that passes the facility’s main entrance. “We eliminated a row of parking spaces and re-paved our parking lot on State St., and added flower planters,” Southwick said. “The city has assisted with additional crosswalks and speed bumps that are placed on State St. during fair weather months.”
Strengthening the infrastructure at Huhtamaki will help maintain the existing workforce and help position it for future growth opportunities, Southwick said. Huhtamaki is centrally located in Fulton on the Oswego River and NYS 481 corridors. The Huhtamaki Fulton Campus (formerly SealRight) has historically employed generations of Fulton families as far back as the late 1800’s. “Our employees and their families are long-time Fulton residents and this project will be a joint investment in both Huhtamaki and its employee’s future. Additionally, streetscape improvements will enhance the experience of pedestrians who currently use the Huhtamaki property as a cut through to NYS 481.”
Mayor Michaels said that the Huhtamaki project supports many DRI strategies. Among these are making the Route 481 and Route 3 corridors more walkable and bikeable by their completed paving and pedestrian improvements along State St. They also support legacy manufacturing in the city, have demonstrated a significant increased business investment, and they support completion of the trail network along Huhtamaki’s waterfront.
“We will continue to share more information on other DRI projects in the coming months,” Michaels said. “It’s truly an exciting time for me and for my fellow Fultonians to see the investment and progress we’re making to improve our city.”
