Philips Lighting

Danville city officials have a number of safety concerns regarding the the old Philips Lighting plant which state authorities are now investigating. On April 17, Interim¿City Manager Ron Scott sent a three-page letter by certified mail to Len Peters, Secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet of the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection. In the letter, which was copied to Danville City Commission, Scott asks for an investigation of whether the 320 Vaksdahl Ave. site is “an imminent hazard that threatens the environment, the ecology, and the health of people in the city of Danville, Boyle County and the region.” The plant ceased operations in¿February 2011, and Philips still owns the site.

A plant that has been making glass products in Danville for more than 60 years will shut its doors for good in February. Officials with Philips Lighting Co. have not yet released a statement about the closing, but employees said they were informed Thursday afternoon that the facility would cease operations on Feb. 18. “It was a surprise to some, but others saw it coming,” said Ron Bennett of Danville, president of United Steelworkers Local...

Local officials expect it will take up to 18 months for Corning Inc. to fully remediate the former Philips Lighting plant on Vaksdahl Avenue. Jody Lassiter, president and chief executive officer of the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership, said during Wednesday's board meeting the remediation could be completed by the end of the year. However, he added that it could take as long as 18 months to get the site ready for business. Philips, a company that operated in Danville from 1982 until 2011, recently sold the site to Corning for $2 million, according to a deed filed in the Boyle County Clerk's Office.

Though cleanup of the old Philips Lighting plant at 320 Vaksdahl Ave. is under way, state environmental officials have not determined when the effort will be completed. The plant operated for more than 60 years as Corning Glass and then Philips after the company bought the facility in the mid 1980s. Hundreds of workers were employed at Philips at one time, but the factory had only 70 employees when it closed its doors in February 2011.  Philips is legally responsible for cleaning the site and issuing reports on its progress to the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, according to state geologist Ken Logsdon.

Danville may be on its way to securing a glass operation that would bring several hundred jobs to a longtime factory space, but the process remains in the early stages. At Monday's Danville City Commission meeting, Jody Lassiter, president and chief executive officer of  the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership, got approval to go ahead with securing a grant to help retrofit the vacant Philips Lighting plant, which closed earlier this year, for a new glass operation, NeoStar Glass LLC. NeoStar gained preliminary approval for state incentives last month that will allow the company to recover up to $5 million in corporate income taxes and wage assessments on state income taxes if it creates the number of jobs planned.

Clarification Information from an ordinance approved by Boyle County Fiscal Court and reported in Thursday's newspaper was misinterpreted. Corning Inc.'s deadline for bringing 40 jobs to Danville is July 1, 2014, one year from the local ordinance's activation date. Corning purchased the former Philips Lighting site on Vaksdahl Avenue and is receiving incentives from local government.

Danville-Boyle County Community Education Program is offering the following classes: Digital Photography, 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 6, 13 and 20. John Gentry is the instructor. The cost is $32. Call (859) 239-8986 to register. Classes are in Philips Lighting at 320 Vaksdahl Ave. Intro to Excel, 8-11 a.m. Sept. 21 and 23. Intermediate Excel, 1-4 p.m. Sept. 21 and 23. Advanced Access, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 21 and 23. Intro to Word, 8-11 a.m. Sept.

Though Corning Inc. officials have purchased the former Philips Lighting site at Vaksdahl Avenue, they have not decided their precise plans for the location, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday. Officials also are not disclosing the purchase price of the property at this time, Corning spokeswoman Beth Dann said during a telephone interview Wednesday.  Corning's Harrodsburg plant makes Gorilla glass for iPhones; the New York-headquartered company is a major manufacturer of glass and ceramics.

Local officials expect it will take up to 18 months for Corning Inc. to fully remediate the former Philips Lighting plant on Vaksdahl Avenue. Jody Lassiter, president and chief executive officer of the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership, said during Wednesday's board meeting the remediation could be completed by the end of the year. However, he added that it could take as long as 18 months to get the site ready for business. Philips, a company that operated in Danville from 1982 until 2011, recently sold the site to Corning for $2 million, according to a deed filed in the Boyle County Clerk's Office.

Clarification Information from an ordinance approved by Boyle County Fiscal Court and reported in Thursday's newspaper was misinterpreted. Corning Inc.'s deadline for bringing 40 jobs to Danville is July 1, 2014, one year from the local ordinance's activation date. Corning purchased the former Philips Lighting site on Vaksdahl Avenue and is receiving incentives from local government.

Though Corning Inc. officials have purchased the former Philips Lighting site at Vaksdahl Avenue, they have not decided their precise plans for the location, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday. Officials also are not disclosing the purchase price of the property at this time, Corning spokeswoman Beth Dann said during a telephone interview Wednesday.  Corning's Harrodsburg plant makes Gorilla glass for iPhones; the New York-headquartered company is a major manufacturer of glass and ceramics.

If Corning Inc. does not bring 40 new jobs to Boyle County by July, the company will be required to remit the lost payroll tax revenue as well as pay a modest penalty. During its meeting Tuesday, Boyle Fiscal Court unanimously approved a $187,500 remediation and redevelopment incentive for the company. Corning also is receiving $312,500 from Danville City Commission as well as $7 million in state incentives. Boyle Judge-Executive Harold McKinney said the city and county incentives will be repaid through payroll tax revenues.

The Philips Lighting facility on Vaksdahl Avenue will be divided into two tracts.  The factory, which closed its doors in 2011, gained approval for the division Wednesday morning from the Danville-Boyle County Planning and Zoning Commission.  Director of Planning and Zoning Paula Bary said a representative of Philips told her he was not at liberty to discuss reasons for the split.  Last week a spokesman for Corning Inc. told The Advocate-Messenger...

Corning Inc. plans to purchase the former Philips Lighting facility on Vaksdahl Avenue, a Corning spokesman said today. Corning, based in New York, is a major manufacturer of glass and ceramics. The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority on Thursday approved the company for $6 million in state tax incentives and $500,000 in state sales tax rebates. “We are grateful for the ongoing support of the state of Kentucky in fostering new business investments and jobs in an area we have great history with,” Corning spokesman Joe Dunning said in a telephone interview this morning.

Danville Fire Chief Woody Ball will meet with Philips Lighting officials today to discuss his concerns about remediating the old Philips plant. About 9:50 p.m. Wednesday, Danville firefighters and police officers went to the plant at 320 Vaksdahl Ave. in response to a 911 call from security officers staffing the facility. The caller suspected someone had broken into the site and also detected a suspicious odor in the air that he thought was ether, Ball said. “It wasn't ether, though, because that would make you pass out,” Ball said.

Danville city officials have a number of safety concerns regarding the the old Philips Lighting plant which state authorities are now investigating. On April 17, Interim¿City Manager Ron Scott sent a three-page letter by certified mail to Len Peters, Secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet of the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection. In the letter, which was copied to Danville City Commission, Scott asks for an investigation of whether the 320 Vaksdahl Ave. site is “an imminent hazard that threatens the environment, the ecology, and the health of people in the city of Danville, Boyle County and the region.” The plant ceased operations in¿February 2011, and Philips still owns the site.

Though cleanup of the old Philips Lighting plant at 320 Vaksdahl Ave. is under way, state environmental officials have not determined when the effort will be completed. The plant operated for more than 60 years as Corning Glass and then Philips after the company bought the facility in the mid 1980s. Hundreds of workers were employed at Philips at one time, but the factory had only 70 employees when it closed its doors in February 2011.  Philips is legally responsible for cleaning the site and issuing reports on its progress to the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, according to state geologist Ken Logsdon.