New Ownership of Lionite Building; Clean-up Continues

The Lionite building in Phillips is getting cleaned up from its collapse one year ago.Photo byMy Price County

In December 2023, Bennish Scrap and Transport approached the City of Phillips Committee of the Whole with an offer to remove the collapsed portion of the Lionite building at no cost.  The company planned to salvage the metal.  However, the city did not have a right to accept the proposal at that time given it was still owned by Phillips Lionite Wood Products Co LLC with the primary investor being Sanjay Patel.  However, agreements were made, and the removal of the collapsed portion began in March 2024. More photos can be viewed at this link.

As of March 28, 2024, Price County United Limited (PCUL), established in 2022, whose president is Lynda Ludwig of Phillips, has announced the purchase of the 26-acre Lionite property at 115 Depot Road.  However, this has not yet been recorded in the Register of Deeds and is still listed as being owned by Phillips Lionite Wood Products Co LLC.  PCUL has also applied for a $20 million Environmental Protection Agency Community Change Grant to make changes to the downtown in Phillips.

Lynda Ludwig has attended county, city, and library board meetings.  At the library board meeting in early March, she discussed the possibility of moving the library to a new location.  Some additional proposed changes were presented to the Planning Commission.  One change includes relocating the gas company that is currently downtown.  That area would be replaced with a recreation center and new Chamber of Commerce, along with a parking lot.  There is also a proposed network of trails for outdoor recreation, such as biking, running, and walking.  Downtown parking and sidewalk proposals were also submitted with ideas for possible bump-outs, bike lanes, green spaces, diagonal parking, back-in angle parking, and other possible ideas.  The former Lionite property would include two duplexes for a total of four new residential units in the area where the collapsed portion is currently being removed, plus there would be a parking lot and a boathouse where the current Lionite building is located.  The former Ford building at 175 North Avon Avenue, which is still owned by American Eagle of Phillips, LLC, is being proposed as a "mixed commercial housing development."  There are also recommendations for cleaning up brownfield sites.  If the $20 grant is awarded, which PCUL will know later this year, then the projected timeline for these projects is three years.

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