(BEDFORD) – The City of Bedford will receive $11,585.40 from the Tax Abatement from Manchester Tank.
“We want to thank Jody Edwards, Lawrence County Auditor, for her hard work and researching invoices over several weeks to obtain this information for the city,” said Bedford Mayor Sam Craig.
“This is not a whole lot of money; much less than some expected. However, the city will be receiving the check in the coming weeks,” said Mayor Craig. “Manchester Tank has been very cooperative with the city, as we have talked over the phone and through email.”
In January of this year, Manchester Tank announced they would be closing the Bedford Plant.
Manchester Tank was founded in 1945 as Manchester Welding and Fabricating Co. in Los Angles. The company got its start with the production of five-gallon vertical tanks for butane and propane storage, primarily used by mobile homes. The company started with seven employees and manufactured approximately 200 tanks per week.
Manchester is now a division of Birmingham, Alabama based McWane.
Michael Jones, Public Relations of McWane (parent company of Manchester Tank) released a statement in January. “After exploring all options to remain open, it became clear it is not economically feasible.”
“Manchester Tank is providing severance packages to our team members based on seniority, and assistance in transitioning to new careers. We thank the Bedford community for its support,” Jones said.
Following the announcement of the closing Bedford Mayor Sam Craig announced that he would be requesting the return of tax abatements the city provided to the company.
The planned closing was in June, but some employees will remain in place until September to help with the closing of the plant.
