Workers leave, plans for site underway
The closing of the Domino Sugar Factory and its 148 year legacy on the shores of the East River was made official when the last of the Domino Sugar employees were seen clearing out their belongings and heading home for good. While the few remaining workers were saying goodbye to fellow co-workers, a construction company removed large unidentifiable containers from inside the building. Over 200 employees in all have been laid off from the 11-story building and many of the employees have been working at the factory for most of their adult lives, like Frankie Ortiz, a 27 year veteran of the Williamsburg Domino Sugar factory who shed tears as he said his final farewells.
The Domino plant had been operating since the 1856 and was acquired in 2001 by American Sugar Refining Company. American Sugar Refining Company officials said the Brooklyn plant was not equipped to compete with its plants in Baltimore, Yonkers, N.Y., and outside New Orleans. The factory was bought in July by Brooklyn developer Isaac Katan along with C.P.C. Resources, the development arm of the Community Preservation Corporation, a lending consortium of banks and insurance companies best known for financing rehabilitations of older apartments.
Lloyd Kaplan, a preservation spokesman said that, “Domino Sugar has closed down their operations on the facility and the arrangement made with C.P.C. when the property was bought there was an agreement for Domino Sugar to be completed with their closure by September 30th but there is a provision stating if another month is needed that it would be granted.” When asked about what would specifically be built on the historic site once Domino Sugar was completely gone from the location, Kaplan said, “this is the beginning of the process and we recognize it is an extraordinary site. We are looking to involve the community in deciding what will be built there. There are dozens of issues that we know and others we will learn once the process is under way.” Even though the Domino Sugar Factory is no longer our neighbor, hopefully Williamsburg will be left with a sweet aftertaste.
NBC's Third Watch serves and protects...The South Side
NBC’s Peabody Award-winning drama Third Watch hit the Southside Streets of Williamsburg to shoot an episode for the show’s fifth season. The Third Watch is an intense drama about the brave and dedicated people who serve as police, paramedics and firefighters during the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift, “the third watch”, as they strive to keep the streets safe.
Coby Bell who plays the role of Ty Davis Jr. was seen in uniform along with fellow cast members on the corner of South 6th Street and Bedford Avenue during a scene that involved an inverted Mercedes, dramatically positioned in front of the Williamsburg Bridge. Third Watch airs Friday nights at 9 p.m. on NBC.
