It’s been commonly said the odor lingering about Franklin from the International Paper mill is the smell of money.

With last week’s reopening of the one-time paper mill — repurposed to produce fluff pulp — the all-too-familiar smell has returned, although not as strong. The reason — only one paper machine was repurposed to produce fluff pulp, the stuff used to make diapers.

Sure, the odor might be a little offensive, but it’s nothing we can’t deal with. The reopening of the mill means 200 new jobs. It may not rival the 1,100 the mill employed before closing two years ago, but it’s a start.

Many have lived comfortably because of IP’s presence. Look around. Western Tidewater has a lot of nice homes.

Many of our high school graduates continued onto college because their parents’ salaries at IP made it possible. Many took vacations, bought new cars and remodeled kitchens thanks to their jobs at IP.

So the return of the smell, the return of jobs and the return of IP’s trickle effect on the economy are well worth it.