Lagoon odors remain.
File complaints with the MPCA if you are affected by Bird’s Eye / ConAgra’s waste.
Click here to file complaint with MPCA (no account required)
The old Bird’s Eye plant is left abandoned and decaying in Waseca.
In addition to opening a new plant, Bird’s Eye / ConAgra is cutting jobs. The brand new plant is cutting approximately 60 jobs from Waseca and receiving millions in tax abatements.
WASECA, Minn. (KEYC) – The city of Waseca will celebrate its newest multi-million dollar Birds Eye vegetable facility today.
The $300 million dollar facility will process nearly 185 million pounds, including corn, peas, and rice.
This multi-year construction project replaces the current Birds Eye plant with room for future explansion.
A ribbon cutting will take place at 10 a.m. at the new facility, located on Brown Ave. in Waseca.
Now that the tax abatement has passed through the council, the agreement is for 20 years with 50% of taxes abated. Waseca County approved a tax abatement for 65% of the county’s share for property taxes.
Waseca City Manager Lee Mattson said the city is reserving some tax capacity to help pay for the water main project.
The city tax abatement is not to exceed $2.54 million over the 20 years and the county tax abatement is not to exceed $2.65 million over 20 years.
With the tax abatement and business subsidy, the new facility must create 119 full-time jobs and 250 seasonal jobs by 2023. Conagra can create more full-time jobs than what is written in the agreement, which allows the company to create less seasonal work, but it can’t create more seasonal jobs than full-time jobs to meet the requirement. If the company doesn’t create the required amount of jobs in that time period it will have to repay a portion of the tax abatement plus interest.
source: https://www.southernminn.com/waseca_county_news/news/article_68d37676-4fa6-5dd6-9433-0acf8d83ca2d.html
File complaints with the MPCA if you are affected by Bird’s Eye / ConAgra’s waste.
Click here to file complaint with MPCA (no account required)