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Keeping current warehouses safe
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By MISTY MAYNARD, Staff Writer
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The golden era of burley tobacco has passed, but remnants of its reign remain in the form of abandoned tobacco warehouses.
While at one time as many as 50 warehouses stood in Maysville, only about 30 remain, according to Maysville Codes Enforcement Officer Jack Fultz.
Though tobacco is not entirely obsolete, the warehouses mostly stand in disuse. As time passes, and the warehouses fall into disrepair, they become more than eyesores in the community -- they become hazards.
Though technically under state jurisdiction, it falls to local codes enforcement and the Maysville Fire Department to monitor warehouses for safety violations. An inspection is conducted at least once yearly on the buildings, Fultz said. Those inspections may last 30 to 45 minutes, and inspectors will look for fire extinguishers inside the building, the condition of the building itself, and the method with which the building is secured.
According to Fultz, the primary concerns for abandoned warehouses hinge on two things: the inability to secure the warehouses from trespassers, and the failure of most warehouses to meet fire codes.
Older warehouses often do not have sprinkler systems and, because they are abandoned, often become the targets of vandals.
"There are some nice warehouses left, but there are some not in very good shape," said Fultz.
On a number of occasions Fultz said the city has received complaints from residents in the area of a tobacco warehouse, mostly concerning people breaking into the buildings. Prior to Parker Tobacco burning, Fultz said it had been broken into a number of times.
"If my house was sitting next door, I'd be concerned too," Fultz acknowledged.
Any building over 12,000 square feet, Fultz said, must have a sprinkler system in order to be utilized as anything besides a tobacco warehouse, and many times owners do not want to spend that much on the dilapidated buildings.
While many of the old warehouses are made of wood and tin, and would be difficult to bring up to code for any industrial use, Fultz said many warehouse owners use the buildings for personal storage.
And for those who simply do nothing with the buildings, they have a perfect right to their neglect, said Gary Wells, a codes enforcement officer.
As Wells notes, there is no law against an empty building. Furthermore, if the building falls into such disrepair it could be condemned, it is unlikely the city would do so, Wells said, as it would not want the expense of tearing the building down.
There are some warehouse owners, like Maysville resident Ben Breslin, who have made the effort to turn one old structure into an industrial site.
The building was built by his grandfather, but had been vacant for a number of years when Breslin purchased it.
"A building that is occupied is a lot less dangerous than one that is not occupied," said Fultz.
Breslin replaced the roof and floor in the warehouse, and added various features for potential industrial use. It sits along the railroad, and could have a stop there if necessary.
The only issue not yet addressed, Breslin said, is that of a sprinkler system. Breslin hopes to lease the building to an industry, and does not want to install a sprinkler system until he knows the needs of the industry. That, as well as a couple other aspects of the building, will be designed to suit those needs.
Breslin said he is currently looking to lease the building.
While warehouses may be state jurisdiction, Fultz said it is local officials who must keep an eye on the buildings to make sure they do not become hazards.
"We are the front line defense," he said.
Contact Misty Maynard at misty.maynard@lee.net or 606-564-9091, ext. 274. |
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