Dannon to host meeting on entry drive

MINSTER - The Dannon Company officials will host a public meeting soon to address construction concerns residents may have about a proposed new distribution center.

Dannon's senior director of public relations Michael Neuwirth told the newspaper that residents will have a chance to ask questions about the proposed new 250,000 square foot distribution center and an employee access drive.

Officials have not yet confirmed the date of the meeting because of logistics, but Neuwirth said that "in the coming weeks we will host our neighbors in the community at an open meeting to learn about the project and share their concerns so that we can try to address them at this stage of the planning process. Once the timing and details of the informational meeting are available we will make the community aware of them."

The announcement comes about a week after seven residents attended a council meeting to voice concerns about a proposed access drive to be installed on the south side of First Street.

Dannon has proposed to remove a portion of a barrier mound and trees that separate the Dannon complex from a residential area to construct an access drive. Residents questioned if the action would bring an infiltration of noise, light and traffic into the neighborhood.

"A proposed new entry access road onto First Street for employees of Dannon and the distribution center is part of the design of the expansion," Neuwirth said. "However, this would be for passenger vehicles only and not for truck traffic, which will continue to use the access road on Southgate Drive."

Anyone wishing to be notified about the future meeting's time, date and location can can send a request to dannon.minster@dannon.com or call the plant at 419-628-3861.  

Construction of the foundation of the distribution center on the east side of the Dannon property is set to begin soon, and residents should not mistake it for work on the access drive. An exact location for the drive has not yet been determined, Neuwirth said.

Dannon officials said the new distribution center should open in early 2018, he said.

"This will improve efficiency in lead times for production and shipping, as well as reduce truck transportation and consequently reduce environmental impact due to truck transport," Neuwirth said.

The distribution center would add about 58 percent more space to the 430,000 square foot facility in Minster and add about 100 more jobs, he said.

Dannon has about 57 acres on the south side of First Street east of state Route 66, according to the Auglaize County Auditor's Office records.

Dannon has been in Minster since 1968, and takes great pride in being a member of the community, Neuwirth said.

"We understand there are concerns about the potential impact in terms of traffic as well as visibility of the plant with this proposed access road onto First Street, which we are working to address. As we are now planning to proceed with these development plans, now is the time for us to present the full scope of the project to the community and to listen to and address these concerns," he said.