After Farmland burned, Albert Lea’s attention turned to one central question: Would the plant be rebuilt? For a time, it appeared the answer would be yes, but after the cooperative went bankrupt, the picture dimmed. Nevertheless, it was always the position of the city, and of this newspaper, that if Farmland wanted to build a new, state-of-the-art plant in Albert Lea, that it should be welcomed as a potential boon for the economy.

If that plant would have been good for Albert Lea, then the current proposal by Premium Pork, LLC would be great. Not only would it provide hundreds &045; eventually more than a thousand &045; of jobs, but 300 of those, the city has been told, will be corporate, white-collar jobs. This will not just be a packing plant, but a corporate headquarters for a new company. Other companies may locate in Albert Lea or grow up from local roots, but few if any would have the potential for 300 office jobs, the kind that provide a chance for advancement and above-average pay.

An estimated $100 million in total payroll would have a profound effect on the economy. Hundreds of new students would keep our schools financially sound. And other industries related to the new plant would thrive.

Of course, the plant would bring change. Any time hundreds of new people move into an area, change is inevitable. But Albert Lea will change regardless of what happens. The question is whether the city wants to change on its own terms, in a way that has a chance of securing a better future, or submit to chance, and possibly face a different kind of change: decline. The challenges can be met if the plant is located here, and the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks.

It seems a large majority of the population would welcome the plant. The city should feel no hesitation in extending an offer to the company, in hopes that it will choose Albert Lea.

Tribune editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper’s management and editorial staff.