News from March 6, 2003 issue
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Cochran building deemed dangerous by city

Two hearings are scheduled this month to track the progress of homes or businesses named on the City of Marion's dangerous building list.

One of the properties in question, and the most recent added to the list, is the former Cochran Supply building on Main Street.

Property owner Georgia Cochran and her daughter, Helen Ellerman, were notified Dec. 20 of complaints over the condition of the building.

Code enforcement official Trisha Tabor said broken windows at the rear of the building and a hole in the roof have given pigeons easy access to the building.

Property owners have 90 days from the date of the original complaint to make repairs and alleviate problems.

A hearing with city officials will be held March 20. At that time, Tabor will review the property owners' efforts to repair the building.

In 2001 the city began enforcing an ordinance that had been on the books since the mid-1970s relating to dangerous buildings.

"It has nothing to do with zoning," Tabor said. "It's one of those ordinances that hasn't been touched in 30 years."

Since the city began enforcing its dangerous buildings ordinance, five structures have been razed. Two were located on Ky. 91 North at the city limits; one was on Old Shady Grove Road; one on College Street across from Fohs Hall; and another at the intersection of College and Bellville streets. The city bore the demolition and/or clean-up costs associated with three of the projects when property owners could either not be located or afford it.

Two other Marion properties which have been cited by the city as dangerous are a house on East College Street owned by Cindy Davidson and one on West Bellville owned by Keith Steele.

Davidson's property was first identified on the city's dangerous but repairable list in April 2001. Issues to be resolved include repair or demolition of a chimney and upper porch columns and replacement of the home's roof, plumbing and wiring.
The next hearing on the Steele property is April 24. Repairs to a back porch at the home are expected by that time.

Tabor said each of the three structures on the city's dangerous buildings list are repairable and are not yet targeted for demolition.

"We have been very lenient, because we know people don't have a lot of money to work on them," Tabor said. "But now it's crunch time. We don't want to disrupt the neighborhoods any more than we have to."

Spring Break will be sparred by school officials

It appears that Spring Break will be spared this year. A few days ago, it looked like school officials might have to cancel spring break in order for students to attend the legal number of days. So far, Crittenden County students have missed 14 days for snow. Based on pending legislation in the state General Assembly and other options, local school officials say Spring Break (March 31-April 4) should not be affected by snow makeup days. The Board of Education will consider proposals for an amended school calendar during its March 11 regular meeting.

B&G Poultry asks for dismissal of chicken case

B&G Poultry's attorney Marc Wells of Princeton has filed a motion asking Crittenden District Judge Rene Williams to dismiss charges against the company and its owner Bud Wardlaw of Marion.

Wells' motion will be heard in court on Wednesday, March 12.

Also, Crittenden County Attorney Alan Stout said he will file a motion this week asking the court to retry the case.

A mistrial was declared last week when Tyson's attorney John Tarter asked for the jury to be allowed to see the chicken farm. Judge Williams said she declared a mistrial based on a request from Stout, who says he did not ask for one.

At issue in Wells' motion to dismiss the case is the confusion over whether or not Stout asked for a mistrial and post-trial publicity in area newspapers and on television stations.

Charges were filed in the summer of 2000 against Tyson Foods, a corporate poultry producer headquartered in Springdale, Ark., and its local contract farmer, B&G Poultry. Ten residents from Greenwood Heights filed criminal complaints, alleging that smells from the chicken houses were trespassing onto their property.

Safetran expands, adds more new jobs

A sluggish economy may be affecting sales in some business sectors, but Dale Kemper has no complaints.

Business at Safetran, which assembles a variety of parts used by the transit and railroad industry, is booming.

In its first year of operation, production has surpassed expectations, and three new assembly lines have been added since December 2002.

"We couldn't ask for business to be any better," said plant manager Dale Kemper. "We have more orders than we've ever had."

Safetran employs 42 people, all but four recently-hired welders were employed at Tyco Electronics before it closed in 2000.

In February, Safetran began production of three new operations which caused some growing pains within the company's Marion facility.

Safetran, which rents space from Marion Mining Bolts on South Main Street, began renovating a storage area inside the building in December and began production on the three new operations in early February.

Four certified aluminum welders were hired to assemble cantilevers, 22- to 40-foot poles that hold lights at railroad crossings. A number of aluminum parts, including ladders and aluminum pipes are sent to Safetran in kits for assembly.

The Marion plant is the sole assembler of Safetran cantilevers, and Kemper estimates only one or two other companies in the U.S. make the devices.

Additionally, the company has begun assembling cast iron and cast aluminum containers that hold electrical switches and relays at railroad crossings.

"Some are installed on cantilevers and operate the lights," Kemper explained, adding that orders vary from two or three to 200 at a time.

The third new operation at Safetran is assembly of rail grinders, hand-held tools that resemble chain saws. The machines are used to cut into rails, or the actual railroad track, so wires can be replaced or a new connection made.

Kemper said the transfer of these three processes to Marion are examples of Safetran executives' confidence in the local workforce. The cantilever, box assembly and rail grinder assemblies were transferred from Safetran's Louisville facility.

"Safetran keeps finding that our workers do such a good job, efficiently and at a lower cost," Kemper said. "Every (new operation) they send us adds jobs, not a large number at one time, but two or three or four at a time."

Kemper anticipates future growth at Safetran and hopes some of the components for the cantilevers will be installed in Marion.