BlueTriton Brands Prepares to Expand Semitruck Parking and Staging Area at Ice Mountain® Brand Bottling Facility
Stanwood, Michigan – March 16, 2023 – With safety as its top priority, BlueTriton Brands announces it will break ground in April on construction of a new and expanded parking area for semitrucks accessing the company’s Ice Mountain® brand bottling facility located on 8 Mile Road in Stanwood, Michigan. The $3 million investment in the facility’s parking and logistics infrastructure will provide a staging area where customer semitrucks cue up for product loading dock assignments and help minimize congestion on local roads. The three-month construction project will enhance safety for the community, customers, and employees while improving customer service.
“Safety is always our priority,” said Mitch Plosz, plant manager for Ice Mountain. “With this investment in our facilities, we address operational, customer, and community concerns at once. The improved staging area for trucks and other improvements will enhance vehicular safety conditions near our operations. I am pleased we are getting it done early in the summer season.”
The Ice Mountain improvement project consists of the following:
· construction of parking for 40 semitrucks to improve on site staging for accessing loading docks
· adding a deceleration lane on 8 Mile Road to assist trucks in easing from the roadway
· widening the west truck entry driveway approach to improve inbound truck traffic flow
· adding a dedicated check-in area for in-bound trucks
· installing a high-definition video and audio kiosk for remote check-ins
· widening the east truck entry driveway to improve outbound truck traffic flow
The project is expected to be completed by June (2023) and will utilize the construction services of local contractors.
Construction requires approvals, which have been secured from local governments including Mecosta Township and Mecosta County Road Commission.
A permit application was filed on March 1, 2023 with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to replace approximately 1/3 of an acre of wetland located on the Ice Mountain property that will be impacted during construction. BlueTriton Brands will work with the Muskegon River Watershed Wetland Banking program to replace the wetland on a 1:5:1 ratio within the Muskegon River Watershed. The wetland mitigation work, as well as the posting of a financial bond are conditions for the issuance of a permit by EGLE. A public comment period on BlueTriton’s wetland permit application is open through March 21; detailed information and the online comment portal can be found at Public Notice - Details - MiEnviro Portal (michigan.gov).
BlueTriton Brand Natural Resources Manager Arlene Anderson-Vincent said, “We look forward to working with the Muskegon River Watershed Wetland Banking experts to create additional wetlands within the watershed. Wetlands play a vital role in the health of this watershed, and we take an active role in their conservation.”
Since first setting down roots in Stanwood more than 20 years ago with an initial $110 million investment and a pledge to contribute to the well-being of this community, BlueTriton Brands has continued to reinvest through timely improvements and enhancements. Today, BlueTriton employs 300 local workers at Ice Mountain with an annual payroll of nearly $20 million, an overall $47.5 million direct contribution to the region’s economy, and $2 million in local and Mecosta and Osceola counties taxes, according to an economic impact study by Michigan based Public Sector Consultants (2022).
“The truck parking and traffic safety project is another example of our ongoing commitment to taking positive actions that will reduce our operational impact locally benefitting our local community, our employees and customers, and Michigan,” said Plosz.
