Demolition work over at former mill site

Published: Saturday, July 20, 2013, 12:01 a.m.

A contractor wrapped up a year's worth of demolition work earlier this month, leaving most the waterfront property as flat as a parade ground.

It's a startling contrast with the brick and steel edifices that loomed there after the mill shut down for good in April 2012.

"There's still some equipment there that has to be broken up and taken away, but the actual demo work is done," Kimberly-Clark spokesman Bob Brand said Thursday.

A large, beige warehouse will remain standing at the south end of the property, unless a new owner decides to knock it down. For now, the roof is the seasonal home of hundreds of Caspian terns. There are no plans to make the birds leave, Brand said.

Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark continues to market the property, hoping a buyer will snap up all 66 acres in one piece. Brand said there's a lot of interest, but no sale to report.

About 700 workers lost jobs when the mill closed.

The City Council in January voted 6-1 to zone much of the site for water-dependent industrial development, in hopes of attracting new blue-collar jobs.

Leaders at the Port of Everett remain interested in expanding operations onto the old mill property, port spokeswoman Lisa Lefeber said. Before reaching a decision, they want to finish ongoing environmental, legal and operational studies.

Naval Station Everett, located next door, is not looking to buy the property.

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Demolition work over at former mill site