Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 1.8.13

10 | JANUARY 1, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

Court Lifts Restraining

Just
Sayin’.

Order on Stinger Cranes

“The irst wave of
under-prepared
workers is going Welding company pays

to try to go into court bond before taking
retirement and
will ind they can’t industrial cranes in Libby

aford to do so.”
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon

Norman Dreger, a
retirement specialist A judge lifted a restraining order
who works for a global against Stinger Welding on Dec. 13, en-
consulting irm, abling the embattled company to remove
predicting a global six cranes from the Kootenai Business
retirement crisis Park in Libby. The industrial cranes have
involving the Baby been at the center of a dispute between
Boomer generation.
the Lincoln County Port Authority and
Stinger, the bridge building company that

“Boys do not hit
went bankrupt and closed its Libby shop
girls.”
in 2013.
Lake County District Court Judge
The statement that James Manley dissolved a temporary re-
District Judge G. straining order that was preventing Sting-
Todd Baugh ordered a er from entering the property and remov-
Billings man to write ing six cranes, according to news reports. Stinger Welding completed a massive bridge beam factory in Libby in 2011. Since the company’s bankruptcy
5,000 times after the and closure of the Libby facility the building and seven cranes inside it have been in dispute. One crane was
man brutally beat his The port authority cried foul in October removed by Stinger in October.
girlfriend, fracturing when Stinger trucked away a 25-ton crane PHOTO COURTESY CARL CHENERY
the woman’s face in valued at $183,000. After the incident, the
three places. Baugh, who port authority iled a restraining order the ownership of the equipment is still in Stinger, minus the $3.4 million.
stirred up controversy in and stated in court documents that be- dispute. Payne said he is unsure when that Stinger completed the building in May
recent months after his cause the cranes, together valued at over issue will be resolved in court.
2011. In hopes of repaying loans, Stinger
comments regarding a $1 million, were purchased with govern- Legal disputes are nothing new be- sought funding through the New Market
14-year-old rape victim, ment grants the equipment belonged to tween Stinger and Lincoln County. In Tax Credits program. During that process,
also sentenced the man to
six months in jail.
the county.
2009, the two signed a development agree- according to the lawsuit, Stinger allegedly
Once the restraining order was lifted, ment to bring a bridge beam building facil- misled the port authority by claiming it
Stinger posted a $1.4 million bond to the ity to Libby that would eventually employ needed the title to the property it occu-
“Yes, I’m court and prepared to remove the cranes more than 200 people. But problems arose pied. On July 18, 2011, the port authority
soon after. The company said the cranes almost immediately.
conveyed the title to Stinger for $186,000.
interested, once are needed for projects in its home state Part of the agreement stated that A year later, in October 2012, the Lin-
Sen. Baucus is of Arizona. Representatives of the port Stinger would construct a large welding coln County Port Authority iled a lawsuit
conirmed.”
authority had little to say on the matter, facility on the old Stimson Lumber Co.
alleging that Stinger failed to comply with
Lt. Gov. John Walsh
other than a brief statement from attorney site and, once complete, the port authority the 2009 development agreement and that
to Lee Newspapers on Allan Payne.
would purchase it at the cost of construc- the building belonged to the county. Then
whether he wants to “The Port Authority hopes the bond tion and lease it back. However, Stinger on Dec. 18, 2012, Stinger Welding CEO
be appointed by Gov. posted by Stinger will cover the costs and failed to obtain the funding for the facil- Carl Douglas died in a plane crash near
Steve Bullock to the U.S. make the port whole again once the own- ity’s construction and in July 2009, the Libby. The company went into bankrupt-
Senate seat that Sen. Max ership of the cranes is determined,” he county provided a $3.4 million grant to cy soon after and it closed its Libby bridge
Baucus will vacate if he is said.
the company to start the project. Payne building facility in 2013.
conirmed as ambassador
to China.
Although the restraining order has said at that point, the port authority still [email protected]
been lifted and the cranes can be removed,
planned on purchasing the facility from

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