A new munitions plant is likely coming to Grayling after township officials approved the sale of more than 300 acres to Saab this week.
While it will also go before the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the decision was seen as the last major hurdle for the $75 million project.
A U.S. subsidiary of the Swedish defense company announced the project last year, stirring debate between residents and officials with some calling for additional review.
The new facility will be used for final assembly on Saab’s AT4 product line. Those are shoulder mounted weapons with softball-sized rounds designed to break through heavily armored objects.
The Grayling township board’s vote was unanimous which came after the Crawford County Economic Development Partnership approved the plan earlier this month.
The land is part of a designated industrial site south of town. Saab said the complex its building will take up about 60 acres.
Lacey Stephan is the Grayling Township supervisor. He said residents will come to appreciate the economic benefits of having a new company in town.
“Saab has demonstrated that they have a proven track record of responsible assembly practices,” he said. “Grayling Township has provided multiple reports documenting it will have no effect on our land or water.”
He’s referencing concerns from opponents to the project who worry manufacturing will harm the environment. Those concerns stem from PFAS contamination that was traced back to the Michigan National Guard’s nearby training facility in the fall of 2016.
PFAS, an acronym for polyfluoroalkyl substances, move through watersheds without breaking down and are linked to an array of health problems, including cancer.
According to Saab’s website, some components delivered to the facility for use in the products do contain PFAS substances.
The website reads: “These substances are used to treat the products so they can endure extremely high temperatures. No surface treatments are conducted at the facility, and components containing PFAS will not come into contact with water or any other solvents. Therefore, there is no risk of PFAS leaking into the environment.”
Remediation for the PFAS plume in Grayling is ongoing, Stephan said with extensions for the clean municipal water system on the way for impacted areas.
Some residents, like former National Guardsman Mike McNamara, say the risk that comes with weapons manufacturing is too great.
“The Guard has changed in the last 25 years,” he said. “They used to be some of the best neighbors and great partners with the community, and in the last 10 years, they, for sure, haven't been.”
Saab officials previously told IPR News the AT4 product line will be tested at Camp Grayling, the largest National Guard training facility in the United States, spanning 147,000 acres of training land throughout Crawford County and 113 square miles of restricted air space.
Saab will also use the plant to build components of its Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), but the rounds themselves will not be fired and tested in Grayling.
The facility in Grayling will be Saab's 10th in the United States. The company has been touting the creation of around 70 jobs in engineering, assembly, management and more.
Officials have said construction could begin later this year with manufacturing beginning in 2026.
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