January and Wood Company

January and Wood Company

Once operating as a textile for nearly as long as the river town of Maysville, Kentucky has existed, the January and Wood Company closed its doors in 2003. Demolition began soon after, but was ordered stopped due to improper demolition techniques. It has since been fully demolished.

History

In late-2003, the January and Wood cotton mill closed its doors on West Second Street in Maysville (3)(4) after a painful struggle with a decline in orders. It was the oldest remaining business in the city (6). In August 2004, the JT Thorpe Company opened a branch office on the site of the former mill (3). The company, specializing in the supply and installation of the inner workings of factories, set up offices in an newer warehouse that was used by the mill (6).

In April 2006, Kelly Bradford and Jeff Schumacher purchased the former January and Wood cotton mill, who formed the Cotton Mill Limited Company (2)(6); this included the blue warehouse on Wall Street but not the warehouse that housed the JT Thorpe Company. The initial intention was to conduct a tear-down on the middle and oldest portions of the cotton mill because of the condition of the building; renovation was also not “economically feasible” (6). A demolition permit was filed with the City of Maysville (2), however, no future plans for the property was made (1). Demolition began soon after on the sections of factory that did not have asbestos.

On June 15, 2006, demolition was halted on the cotton mill after the owners failed to notify the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet before the demolition work began (1). The work was halted after a contractor arrived on the site to conduct asbestos abatement and commented that the Cabinet needed to be notified per state law; realizing that the state had not been given notice, the contractor did so himself. The Cabinet reported that “asbestos containing material had been disturbed.” (5) On June 26, a written notice of violation was issued, however, it did not penalize the owner. As a result, Bradford and Schumacher hired a certified contractor that removed the remaining asbestos in a proper manner (5).

On November 28, 2006, the owners announced that demolition would soon begin on the former mill (5), however, nothing materialized. The cotton mill was sold on January 19, 2007 to Jerry Lundergan for $220,000 (2), who began demolition in the summer. Material from the property was sold for scrap, dumped in a landfill and used as fill for a dock along the Ohio River.(7) No time frame has been set for complete remediation of the site, however, four of five buildings have been demolished.

Gallery

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Sources

1. Maynard, Misty. “January and Wood demolition hits a snag.” Ledger Independent (Maysville), June 16, 2006. May 18, 2007 Article.
2. Maynard, Misty. “Lundergan purchases January and Wood Cotton Mill property.” Ledger Independent (Maysville), January 22, 2007. May 18, 2007 Article.
3. Story, Justin. “JT Thorpe, a local institution.” Ledger Independent (Maysville), March 11, 2005. May 18, 2007 Article.
4. “Loyal customers help local business.” Ledger Independent (Maysville), August 18, 2003. May 18, 2007 Letter to the editor.
5. Carlson, Carrie. “Asbestos abatement complete, demolition of cotton mill to continue.” Ledger Independent (Maysville), November 28, 2006. May 18, 2007 Article.
6. Maynard, Misty. “New owners have differing plans for cotton mill.” Ledger Independent (Maysville), May 18, 2006. May 18, 2007 Article.
7. Maynard, Misty. “Old cotton mill coming down slowly, but surely.” Ledger Independent (Maysville), 19 Oct. 2007. 21 Oct. 2007 Article.