St. Marys to reopen Dixon cement plant

DIXON – St. Marys Cement plans to reopen its Dixon plant this spring.

Citing a downturn in the economy, the company closed the plant in December 2008. About 90 jobs were lost in the shutdown.

At the time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had fined St. Marys and co-owner St. Barbara Cement $800,000 for violations of the federal Clean Air Act. In addition, the settlement with the government called for the companies to spend nearly $2 million to upgrade pollution control on three of its four kilns. The fourth kiln had to be replaced or shut down.

The settlement was the first completed as a result of an EPA crackdown on Portland cement manufacturing facilities. EPA said the companies had illegally modified the kilns at the Dixon plant in a manner that increased harmful sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. In addition to failing to install the proper pollution-control equipment, the companies were cited for failing to get the proper permit before making modifications.

Mayor Jim Burke said representatives from St. Marys approached him nearly a year ago about the possibility of restarting operations. A small maintenance crew has been working at the plant for a while to prepare for a reopening.

The company said the decision was made based on increased demand from an improving economy. St. Marys also plans to invest $130 million in its Charlevoix, Michigan, plant to increase capacity there.

"St. Marys Cement Inc. (U.S.) is pleased to announce that after a 7-year downturn in the economy, we will be reopening our cement plant in Dixon, Illinois," spokesman Steve Gallagher said in an email.

Gallagher provided a spring timeline for the reopening process. He also said all regulatory issues with the EPA had been addressed.

"We've been working since January with a small crew performing the necessary routine maintenance in our installations," Gallagher wrote. "By the end of March, we will be completely staffed, bringing around 60 jobs back to Dixon. The plant will resume operation shortly thereafter with all required environmental permits in place."