8 hours ago
Historic Domino sugary refinery in Yonkers to close at year's end. Here's what it could mean for the community.
The historic Domino sugar refinery in Yonkers will close this year, after more than a century in operation.
The move has many concerned about the impact to workers and the community.
300 jobs will be lost when Domino sugar refinery closes
For the last 25 years, the massive refinery on the Hudson River has been owned by Domino, but it has been turning raw cane into sugar products since at least 1900.
A spoonful of sugar won't make the decision to close the plant any more palatable. When it shuts down at the end of the year, it will mean the end of 300 jobs.
"Shocked and appalled," eight-year employee Tyrone Antrum said of the decision to close. "Every year we heard rumors of it shutting down, just never thought it would happen.
ASR, the corporate owner, says it's part of an "optimization plan" that will shift operations to Buffalo and elsewhere in the Northeast.
"It's gonna be a great loss for the community"
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano calls the decision bittersweet.
"The fact that they've been there so long is something we've been proud of," Spano said.
The plant drives millions in regional economic activity. Domino partners with local nonprofits and employees volunteer many hours at nearby YMCA Community Garden and elsewhere.
It was just a few years ago that Domino invested in signage and facade improvements at the refinery, and the general manager said the company looked forward to being in Yonkers "for generations to come."
"It's gonna be a great loss for the community due to the fact that they create jobs in the community and they not only help us at the YMCA Community Garden they also help everyone else with an organization. It's gonna be a great loss for all of us,' said the YMCA Community Garden's Lucy Moreno-Casanova.
Refinery sits on valuable property, Spano says
The plant will likely be torn down. The waterfront property adjacent to Metro-North's Hudson line that it sits on will have developers circling.
"Twenty-four acres that it sits on are probably the most valuable property between here and Albany," Spano said.
The city and state say they'll work with the company to assist workers facing the sour prospect of unemployment.
"Whatever it takes -- I got a family to support, so I'm out here looking already," Antrum said.
