BERLIN, N.H. (AP) – The towering stacks that have been a landmark of Berlin, and a reminder of its bustling mill past, are coming down.

City officials said the pulp mill stacks are tentatively scheduled to be dismantled on Sept. 15. The mill owner, North American Dismantling Corp., plans to hold a ceremony and luncheon and city officials have been invited, City Manager Patrick MacQueen said.

But the removal of the stacks doesn’t mean the city is letting go of its industrial roots – a chemical recovery boiler for the pulp mill is staying. Laidlaw EcoPower LLC has plans to purchase the boiler to convert it into a 50-megawatt biomass plant.

Laidlaw also wants to install a turbine and generator, and plans to work with North American Dismantling to develop the rest of the site. The companies hope to attract at least one large business that could use co-generated steam from the plant for heat.

Mayor Robert Danderson said Berlin could use the property tax dollars generated by industrial development.

But not everyone is on board with the plan. Some city residents and business owners have lobbied the city council to consider redeveloping the site, which is zoned for industrial use, for commercial use. Stacia Roberge, of Berlin’s Main Street Program, said there are much questions about the project. Some downtown merchants are considering circulating a petition to oppose the biomass plant, she said.