SARTELL - Sartell Mayor Joe Perske, and the rest of the city council, approved the plans this (Thursday) evening to begin the demolition of the former Verso Paper Mill.

Perske says the structure that has stood longer than the town itself will be missed.

New owners AIM Development has been granted a Interim Use Permit for 12 months, with an automatic renewal of an additional 12 months, if necessary.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will oversee the work.

The demo work will begin on the buildings on the far northern part of the site.  They'll also begin to to separate the hydroelectric plant from the mill.  About 35-40 workers will be on the site.  Restrictions include: no greater vibrations than made by a train, hours of demo work will be between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., seven days a week, year round, until the work it done.

The agreement also requires that yellow bricks from some of the buildings be saved and repurposed into new walls and buildings built on the site.

When they're done all that will be left will be some concrete slabs and crushed concrete, as well as the hydroelectric plant.

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