Huron's lime plant pulverized

HURON — Brenda Michel reveled in seeing a storied structure getting razed on Friday morning. "I like to watch things blow up," said Michel, a lifelong Huron resident. Along with Michel, a couple of hundred people lined Main Street — stretching from the North Main Pier to the Huron Boat Basin — to watch a historic lime plant come crumbling down. Earlier this year, Carmeuse, a global manufacturer of lime and limestone, notified city officials about vacating its Meeker Street site bordering the Huron River not far from Nickel Plate Beach. Because of this, they demolished the factory — a notable sight spanning Huron's skyline for decades. Promptly at 10 a.m., and in one fell swoop, the building toppled over in a quick but notable implosion. Carmeuse must clean up, clear and level this entire site. "As much as this is the end of one legacy, we really believe this creates a brand new opportunity for this community to completely reimagine this waterfront property," said Huron city manager Matt Lasko, alluding to a forthcoming public input process. Regarding the redevelopment plan, Lasko said, "We hope it supports the legacy of industry on the Huron River but also creates an opportunity for reimagining for what could be a phenomenal greenspace and/or additional residential and recreational amenities for the public." No concrete plans for this site's next use have been publicized. Lasko noted Norfolk Southern hasn't provided any updates on when possible work could happen. The railroad company owns this waterfront land, totaling about 20 acres. Friday's implosion harkened back to another notable demolition in Huron, ConAgra's demise, which occurred 12 years ago in 2012. "I was here for that one, too," said Michel, referring to the one-time grain mill's silos crashing to the ground. History lesson Carmeuse represents a global manufacturer of lime and limestone. The company — which provides lime, limestone and mineral-based items; offers freight and logistics support; and operates lime-handling systems — stopped manufacturing its products from Huron sometime last year, thus leaving this site basically vacant, city officials said. Locally, the lime plant's roots date back to around 1967 following a coal dock closure, according to the Huron Historical Society. For many years, it was known as Huron Lime Co. before Carmeuse acquired it a few years ago. Many locals refer to the lime plant as a "cloud maker" for producing similar shapes floating above its facility. "The plant converted shiploads of limestone into hydrated lime for steelmaking," according to a society statement. "The first ship, the Joseph Young, arrived Aug. 23, 1977. It was bought by Carmeuse Lime and Stone in 2018 and closed shortly after." Fast-forward to present day, and Carmeuse informed Norfolk Southern it would not renew a lease agreement up later this month. Carmeuse regularly donated back to the Huron community, supporting many charitable causes and raising money for area food banks.