Riverbank made bold plans for old Army ammo plant. Here’s where job creation stands
Twelve years after the Army stopped making ammunition in Riverbank, the vast plant is only partway toward its potential for new jobs.
But that could improve soon, local officials said during a tour Thursday for Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock. They envision about 2,000 people working for various tenants, up from about 650 now, with an emphasis on green industries.
Harder heard about how long it is taking for state and federal agencies to ensure that contaminated portions of the site are cleaned up. It stretches across 173 acres at Claus and Claribel roads, with about 150 buildings and plenty of open land.
Harder earlier helped a company navigate federal rules regarding foreign investment in a venture that would make vehicle fuel from nut shells and orchard wood waste. Aemetis plans to employ about 50 people on the Riverbank site and said contract truckers would add perhaps 1,000 more jobs.
“There’s a lot of unique things about this site,” Harder said. “It’s already prebuilt for manufacturing opportunities.”
Plant launched in World War II
The plant opened in 1943 to process aluminum for use in World War II aircraft. It shifted to ammunition in 1952, during the Korean War, and topped 2,000 employees during the Vietnam War. They made cartridges and casings for mortars and grenades, through a contract with NI Industries.
In 2005, the site became one of the many military operations scheduled for closure as the Cold War waned. It was finally deactivated in 2009 and leased at no cost to Riverbank the next year. The city subleases parts of the site to new users and eventually will own it. It is now called the Riverbank Industrial Complex.
Harder toured the plant with Mayor Richard O’Brien, City Manager Sean Scully and a few other local leaders. They saw where a company named Circulus will soon employ about 50 people recycling plastic bags into pellets that can be put to new uses.
Ciruculus will join Repsco, which recycles plastic into products used for inventory handling, in place of wooden pallets. Another tenant, Greeneyes Manufacturing, turns discarded plastic into landscape edging and related products.
NX Stage Security makes burglar-foiling doors and window screens at the plant. Integrated Railcar Services does work for the freight rail industry, using tracks that loop through the plant. The tracks connect to the Sierra Northern Railway, which in turn feeds into major freight lines in California.
Soaring architecture, toxic residues
The plant has concrete floors and high ceilings, ideal for heavy manufacturing. Electricity comes from the adjacent transmission lines for San Francisco’s hydropower system on the Tuolumne River. Tenants can advertise that they use renewable energy, Harder said.
Many of the buildings have brick walls, evoking the industrial architecture of 75-plus years ago.
Not everything is charming. Careless handling of chemicals decades ago left chromium, cyanide, PCBs and other contaminants at the plant. The Army has been cleaning it up for more than 30 years, and the site will be monitored for decades to come.
The city cannot take ownership until approval by government bodies that include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.
Ultimately, the city manager said, Riverbank will transfer the property to a master developer that will carry out the long-range plan.
“We are very proud of this unique project and look forward to a time very soon where the site will accelerate with investment into a hub for green/new energy-type business in the Central Valley,” Scully said in an email to The Modesto Bee after the tour.
Other defense sites find new uses
The Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant was not the only former military operation to shut down in or near Stanislaus County. The former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, closed in 1995, is well along in its transformation into a commercial airport and other uses. The old Crows Landing Naval Air Station, shut down in 1997, could follow someday soon.
An exact date is not known for Riverbank getting all of the old ammo plant, but O’Brien said its full job potential could follow in about a year.
The Riverbank site is open to a variety of new users, but local leaders hope it gains a reputation for recycling, alternative fuels and other environmentally wise projects.
The place could play a role in reducing the carbon emissions that have contributed to a general warming of the planet. The Aemetis plant could be especially helpful by both replacing fossil fuel in vehicles and using wood waste that used to be burned in the open.
“This is just building on our theme of making this a green site since we first received the news of (the plant closing,)“ O’Brien said.
Riverbank also stands out in its emphasis on manufacturing, rather than service sectors such as health care or distribution centers for goods made elsewhere.
“Others have business parks,” O’Brien said. “This is an industrial park. There’s a big difference.”
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
