PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill has a plan for sweetening the air.
Carr Tyndall, who began work as the mill’s new general manager March 30, said Tuesday that dredging of a runoff pond in July should help damp down the odor that has prompted complaints from city residents.
Sludge built up in the pond over years is a cause of some of the odors, he said.
Removing the sludge is expected to lessen the smell.
The project will restore the entire pond to a 4-foot depth, said Kevin Scott, director of sustainability.
During the dredging period, chemicals will be used to reduce the smell, so there should not be any increased odor, Scott said.
Tyndall, 54, talked Tuesday about the upcoming project during an interview when he said his top priorities are to improve the facility’s safety record and worker morale.
“Better safety measures shows care for the employees and leads to a certain amount of productivity improvements,” he said.
“We want to get people thinking more about safety.”
Tyndall, who is from South Carolina, took over the management of the mill from Roger Hagan, who retired in February after two years.
Two weeks before Hagan’s retirement, it was announced that the company had been sold from GoldenTree Asset Management, a New York-based equity investment firm, to a newly created paper products holding company, Crown Paper Group, created by the investment firm of Lindsay Goldberg.
Tyndall said he plans to examine procedures and institute more safety-oriented processes.
The mill had a recordable injury rate of 4.3 as of April 7 for 2015.
In all of 2014, the rate was 5, with 675,000 hours and 17 incidents.
The rate is computed by multiplying the number of reportable incidents by 200,000, which represents 100 employees working 40 hours a week for 50 weeks a year.
That number is divided by the hours worked to arrive at the incident rate, according to Felix Vicino, the company’s human resource manager.
Vicino said the mill employees have worked more than 186,000 hours and have had four incidents this year.
“Our overall objective is to improve and lower that rate with a greater focus on safety, increased training, doing job safety analysis, employee engagement and involving everyone in our Safe Start program,” Vicino said.
“We are working closely with our union to achieve these shared objectives.”
Tyndall said he’d like to bring the recordable injury rate down to 1.0.
Vicino said attention to safety has come to the forefront in recent months with an increase in safety meetings along with audits of safety procedures.
“We want to get more people involved in this,” he said.
“A lot of our workers have been here a long time.
“Complacency sets in when you have done things over and over.
“We need to get people to think about what they are doing and not rush things.”
Vicino said injuries are reported if a doctor is involved or work is lost.
The mill says on its website at www.ptpc.com that it has 300 employees.
Tyndall also seeks to improve morale.
“The workers here have been through a lot,” he said.
“They have been working very hard but are a little beat down because they haven’t had all the resources they’ve needed to do their jobs.
“I want to get them those resources so they can work more efficiently.”
The mill is the largest private employer in East Jefferson County.
Tyndall is optimistic about the mill’s future success.
But that is tempered with uncertainties about the economy.
“You always worry if there is going to be another recession,” he said.
“But as long as our products continue to sell, things should go well.”
Tyndall said an increase in e-commerce has provided an indirect boon to the company since it produces paper products that are used to assemble shipping boxes.
“There is no cheaper way to ship a package than in a corrugated box,” he said.
“It still provides the best protection, and as more people buy from Amazon and eBay, they are all in need of smaller boxes.”
The general manager’s job description has changed slightly. Hagan was responsible for the sales department, while Tyndall is more focused on operations.
Tyndall describes himself as “casual and hands-on” in his management style, adding that he hopes to continue Hagan’s efforts in connecting with the community.
No public get-acquainted meetings are currently planned. A mill open house, however, could take place in the near future, Tyndall said.
Tyndall is renting a house in Port Ludlow. His wife is still living in South Carolina and will move to the area later.
“I’m putting in a lot of hours right now, so she’ll stay in South Carolina until we can sell the house and decide if we are going to buy something here.”
Prior to accepting his new role at the mill, Tyndall managed a paper mill for KapStone Paper and Packaging in Summerville, S.C.
He has more than 30 years of experience with such firms as Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., International Paper and RockTenn Co.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in paper science from North Carolina State University and an MBA from the University of Florida.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
