HOLLANDALE – The fire at Hollandale Marketing Association last month was devastating by all accounts, but it was not a fatal blow to the vegetable cooperative.

Friday, November 16, 2001

HOLLANDALE – The fire at Hollandale Marketing Association last month was devastating by all accounts, but it was not a fatal blow to the vegetable cooperative.

In only three weeks, HMA has made arrangements to serve their major customers until they can refurbish their damaged potato and onion washing facility.

&uot;I think we’re in position to open sometime in December. There are still a few things in the air, but it’s all coming together,&uot; said manager Larry Forster.

The cooperative is building a semi-permanent building to enclose the damaged north end of the washing facility and has new equipment on order. When the work is complete, workers will notice improvements in the plant, Forster said.

&uot;The lighting and other utilities will be much improved,&uot; he said. &uot;We’ll have some new equipment like the grading table.&uot;

The plant will undergo a thorough cleaning by an industrial remediation company from the Twin Cities. As soon as the wash plant is back online, HMA can prepare its onions which survived the fire.

Forster said the members of the coop decided to reinvest in the plant rather than close indefinitely.

&uot;There was no hesitation really,&uot; he said. &uot;This is our 75th anniversary, and we hope to be around for another 75 years.&uot;

Staying in business would not have been a possibility without the swift response of the 17 fire departments that extinguished the fire, Forster said.

&uot;It could have been so much worse for us. With the winds that night, we could have lost the whole operation,&uot; he said.

Forster is also thankful to the employees who are either waiting for the plant to reopen or trimmed hours.

&uot;Some of them have hung in here with us for 20 years. They’re very loyal,&uot; he said.

The Oct. 25 blaze destroyed a 14,000 square-foot warehouse containing 500,000 pounds of just-harvested potatoes. The fire was most likely electrical, Forster said, but investigators say they will probably never pinpoint the cause.