A.O. Smith here little bit longer

Christmas will be somewhat happier for 63 A.O. Smith employees who will get to keep their jobs into 2007.

Company spokesman Mark Petrarca says A.O. Smith?s decision to halt production in McMinnville is going slightly slower than expected. That means the plant, originally scheduled to close by the end of this month, will remain open into next year.

?We?re a little behind as we work through these transition issues,? said Petrarca. ?We don?t know exactly when it will be, and I don?t want to put a date on it, but we?re now looking to close in the first quarter of 2007.?

Petrarca said at the end of November, the local plant still employed 110.

However, he says 47 people will lose their jobs by the end of this month.

Petrarca says he doesn?t have any information about when A.O. Smith will be completely out of the building on Red Road. ?Our primary focus is on our customers and our displaced employees,? he said. ?I don?t have any information about the building.?

The McMinnville-Warren County Industrial Development Board owns the building and IDB member Jeff Golden says there has been some interest from other industries. But efforts to find a new tenant have been hampered by the fact A.O. Smith is still occupying the building.

?It?s kind of hard to line somebody up when they?re still there,? said Golden. ?We?ve been meeting with A.O. Smith folks, looking at blueprints and trying to get the building on the market. But then again, we don?t know when they?re going to leave.?

Golden indicated the facility is in fairly sound condition, but did mention environmental issues as one area of concern.

?There are going to be environmental issues with almost any industry you have,? said Golden. ?Hopefully we can have a letter of clearance from the environmental people by the time A.O. Smith is ready to leave.?

About A.O. Smith

? 1997 ? Becomes world?s largest manufacturer of fractional horsepower motors
? 1999 ? Acquires worldwide electric motor operations of MagneTek
? 2000 ? Employs some 925 workers at its McMinnville plant
? 2002 ? Local layoffs begin
? July, 2006 ? Company announces it will shut down McMinnville plant