BY SARA PITZER
SALISBURY POST

David Risdon says the N.C. Finishing/Color-Tex facility in Spencer26 is “definitely the plant that nobody wants.”

Since a court dismissed the involuntary bankruptcy case against Color-Tex International earlier this month, nobody involved admits owning the plant and nobody has assumed responsibility for what happens to the place.

Norman Beaver, president of Local 440T, United Food and Commercial Workers International, the union that serves workers at the Spencer plant, said some union and company officials are concerned about the presence of hazardous materials inside the plant.

In Beaver’s view, cold weather makes the potential risks greater because Piedmont Natural Gas has turned off the gas. The city has also turned off the water.

Wayne Ashworth, director of Rowan Emergency Services, can’t even inspect the plant to see if chemicals need to be removed for the safety of the town.

Ashworth said he can’t go into the place without authorization and he’s not sure who can legitimately give it to him. He said businesses are required to report at least once a year if they have hazardous materials on the property. Neither Emergency Services nor the state has received any such report, he said.

In a related situation, Beaver said some vendors would like to come in to remove chemicals and dyes from the plant, but they can’t do that without authorization either.

Risdon said he thinks ownership has reverted to him, Joe Goldman and Ormet, the investors group, although Fleet bank still has a lien against the property. He said he owns 10 percent, Goldman owns 20 percent and the group owns the rest, but neither Goldman nor Ormet has been willing to take responsibility for what happens next in Spencer. Goldman has been trying to buy the other three Color-Tex properties, which also have been closed, but not the Spencer plant.

Risdon said he is going to step forward, claim responsibility and try to work something out with Ormet and Fleet to take care of the plant and focus on finding a buyer. “Nobody else is going to do it,” he said. “I am going to take it upon myself.”