“Tenn. Town Worries About Failed Saturn Deal - Industrial Distribution” plus 4 more

Tenn. Town Worries About Failed Saturn Deal - Industrial Distribution
Appeals court snuffs ruling to erase Englewood mural - Denver Post
Group: Board should OK abatements - Iowa City Press-Citizen
Saturn axe won't hurt local jobs - News-Sun
Cobo fixes start in time for auto show - detnews.com

Tenn. Town Worries About Failed Saturn Deal - Industrial Distribution

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 06:48 AM PDT

SPRING HILL, Tenn. (AP) -- Residents in the small town where the Saturn auto brand came to life say a failed deal to sell the car line will hurt an area already struggling in a tough economy.

General Motors Co. said Wednesday that it plans to shut down Saturn after the collapse of a deal for Penske Automotive Inc. to acquire the brand.

At Spring Hill, where GM launched the brand about two decades ago, the announcement creates uncertainty for employees at a Saturn parts distribution center. Local business leaders worry about the now bleak future of the town's auto industry.

Debbie Hargis is an office manager at a repair service that has a contract with an independent transporter for GM. She said Thursday the latest news means her company may lose the work, and she and other workers may lose their jobs.

"We will definitely be affected," Hargis said Thursday. "I think about it almost every day."

Josh Hutcherson, who has been with the service company for six years, said he worries about how tough it would be to find a job with the economy the way it is.

"I would try to find something else, but it would be hard because everybody else would be looking for jobs," said the 26-year-old, who is married and has two children.

United Auto Workers Local 1853 officials said there are about 110 workers at the center.

Saturn production had been moved by GM. Those distribution center employees were not among about 2,500 affected when GM in June announced that the Spring Hill plant now making the Chevrolet Traverse is to be idled Nov. 25. Many of those employees are transferring or retiring.

However, the long-term affects of losing a plant that once boasted more than 7,000 employees in the 1990s has local residents concerned.

Jimmy Story owns a local cleaners and said one of the reasons he located to Spring Hill was because he thought the plant would be a good draw for his business.

"We have our fingers crossed that something will come in the future," Story said.

Spring Hill Mayor Michael Dinwiddie is also trying to be upbeat.

"We certainly will be affected, a lot of our businesses will be affected," he said. "But I'm optimistic we'll bounce back."

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Appeals court snuffs ruling to erase Englewood mural - Denver Post

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 07:02 AM PDT

ENGLEWOOD — A mural of a caterpillar smoking shisha in a hookah and a white rabbit popping a pill can stay on the wall at a South Broadway head shop.

Saying the shop owner's constitutional right to free expression had been violated, the Colorado Court of Appeals on Thursday overturned a lower-court ruling that favored the city's position that the mural violated its sign code.

"I'm excited," said Mike Mahaney, who owns Headed West, a tobacco and smoking accessories shop. "It's been over two years. I'm ready to get over it."

Mahaney had the mural painted in 2007 to cover graffiti left by taggers who routinely targeted his shop.

But there were a few complaints that the mural, a scene from "Alice in Wonderland," was more about drug use than fantasyland.

At the time, Dave White, owner of Englewood Auto Repair & Body across the street, said it sent a bad message to kids.

City officials said the mural's large size violated its sign code and Mahaney had never acquired a permit for the project.

The case went to court, with the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado backing Mahaney.

Then the state appeals court ruled that the code's special-review procedure was a "constitutionally impermissible prior restraint on free speech."

ACLU legal director Mark Silverstein said the ruling "is a valuable reminder that free expression is our most fundamental right and that government can never take lightly a decision to dictate what people may or may not say."

Mahaney said media coverage of the mural — which remained uncovered through the court cases — has spurred a business boon.

"I still have people come in every day, ask about it, ask who did it, take pictures of it," he said. "We had tremendous support on this."

Deputy City Manager Mike Flaherty had not heard of the ruling and was planning to consult with the city's legal counsel. The City Council will ultimately decide whether to appeal to the Colorado Supreme Court.

"When you go to court, there's going to be a winner and a loser," Flaherty said.

Mahaney isn't going to break out any shisha just yet. The city has 45 days to decide whether to appeal.

"My attorney said that's very unlikely," Mahaney said. "I think the city is pretty much over it. We've got to wait 45 days, but at the end of that, we will definitely be celebrating."

Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com

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Group: Board should OK abatements - Iowa City Press-Citizen

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 06:19 AM PDT

A group of local business owners are continuing to question why Johnson County isn't providing property tax abatements for those affected by last year's flooding.

Chick Meade, who owned the Erin Arms Apartments in Coralville, said it was a tough year for businesses that had to go months without earning a penny.

"To me, charging them taxes is a bit akin to stealing from a blind person," Meade told the Johnson County Board of Supervisors Thursday morning.

In Linn County, residents and commercial and industrial business owners who were affected by flooding were eligible to apply for tax abatement, with applications due at 5 p.m. Thursday.

"I would not like to think their supervisors are more caring than ours," Meade said. "I think it's only reasonable to consider it here."

Sanja Hunt, owner of the floral shop Every Bloomin' Thing, said the flood kept her out of business from June 13, 2008, to October 2008.

"The whole year has pretty much been lost," Hunt said.

Steve King, owner of King's Auto Repair, 800 Quarry Road in Coralville, said he was out of business for 35 to 40 days.

"A little help would be nice," King said. "This was something that none of us needed."

The board addressed the issue earlier this year and said it would require convincing a majority of its members to revisit the issue for it to be put on another agenda, Supervisor Terrence Neuzil said.

In other business:

The supervisors will meet with federal and state emergency management officials to discuss the possibilities for the Sutliff Bridge at 9 a.m. Thursday. According to a report by consultant VJ Engineering, dealing with what remains of the historic bridge could cost as little as $200,000 -- or as much as $2 million.

The most expensive option, which would cost more than $2.04 million, is to replace in kind. This means staying true to the original structure with modern construction techniques. The cheapest option is to remove the remainder of the existing bridge.

The bridge has to return to a functional pedestrian bridge or be removed to be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding. FEMA and the state have earmarked $1.4 million for the bridge, but the county can request more funding if needed, officials have said.

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Saturn axe won't hurt local jobs - News-Sun

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 05:15 AM PDT

published: Friday, October 02, 2009

Saturn axe won't hurt local jobs

By TREY CHRISTY

trey.christy@newssun.com

SEBRING -- A monthly managers meeting for the Alan Jay Automotive Network Thursday morning coincided with the news that a deal for General Motors to sell Saturn failed.

Penske Automotive Group Inc., announced it is walking away from the deal, unable to find a manufacturer to make Saturn cars when GM stops producing models sometime after the end of 2011.

Shortly afterwards GM announced it would stop making Saturns and would close down the brand, like it did with Oldsmobile in 2004 and soon will do with Pontiac.

"It kind of caught us by surprise," said Don Elwell, director of marketing and public relations for AJAN.

Elwell said the local Saturn dealership will continue to sell 2010 model-year Saturns that are scheduled to be delivered in addition to the 15 or 20 vehicles currently in stock.

GM will stop making Saturns as soon as possible, but no layoffs are expected, said GM spokeswoman Sherrie Arb. Saturns are made at two plants in the U.S.; one in Michigan, the other in Kansas; and one plant in Mexico.

"Those plants produce products for other brands, and we think we can increase volume on those products that will meet market demand," Arb said.

Local job loss is also expected to be absorbed by moving the jobs to the other dealerships in AJAN, Elwell said.

"Everybody is going to be fine," he said.

Plans for the Saturn building are already in the works, with "a bunch of ideas brewing," he said.

The Toyota building might expand into a superstore-type dealer using the new space, Scion might get its own building, or a large lot with pre-owned cars may occupy the building once Saturn moves out.

"It's going to wind down ... it's not something that is going to happen in the next month or two," Elwell said. "Customers won't see a difference."

Both those purchasing 2010 model Saturn vehicles and current Saturn owners will be able to service their cars at the dealership until it closes.

Afterwards, according to GM, owners will be able to go to certified GM dealers for service and repairs, like the one owned by the AJAN across the street from the Saturn dealership, Elwell said.

The Saturn brand was first unveiled by GM in 1983 but the project was slow to develop, officially launching in 1990.

It featured the iconic tag-line "a different kind of car company" and people were attracted by its low-key showrooms and no-haggle pricing.

This approach to the business impacted local sales consultant Ferron Jackson, who started detailing the cars in 2005. He has been in sales for Saturn for the past three years.

"What really drew me in was another salesman told me the philosophy Saturn has, the way they do business," he said. "It's not about making a sale, it's about making a friendship."

For a man who deeply identified with the Saturn brand and ideology, making the change to work at another dealer shouldn't be as easy as a lateral-move.

"This is my life," he said. "I have such a strong passion for Saturn, they way they treat their customers, the loyalty, the friendships ... this is where I fit. This is my personality."

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Cobo fixes start in time for auto show - detnews.com

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 07:02 AM PDT

$3M of $9.4M set aside will go for immediate repairs

Leonard N. Fleming / The Detroit News

Detroit --Some renovations are under way at Cobo Center in preparation for the North American International Auto Show in January, as state funds have been freed up to repair the aging facility.

Doug Fox, chairman of the 2010 show, said Thursday the regional authority that oversees the facility has received $9.4 million from the state, $3 million of which will be used for immediate repairs in time for the show.

Fox said "naysayers" doubted Cobo would get the improvements but progress is being made and quickly.

"Had we not had the will of the Legislature, the governor, the mayor, both (Dave) Bing and (City Council President Kenneth) Cockrel, too, this would have never happened," Fox said. "Yeah, times are tough but we've got to do this and help keep this show in Detroit."

Jamaine Dickens, a spokesman for the authority, said workers are repairing leaky roofs, upgrading electrical sources in the ceiling and improving waste and plumbing systems. Loading docks also will be upgraded to include a covered area to increase safety and efficiency during the wintertime show.

Fox said the improvements -- and more extensive ones that are months away -- will help Detroit keep the show that annually pumps some $500 million into the economy.

The five-member authority, comprised of representatives of Detroit, Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties and the state, took control of the center last month.

Most of the money for a planned $288 million expansion comes from bonds that haven't yet been issued, Dickens said.

Work on the 166,000 square-foot expansion will proceed after the show in hopes of completing it in time for the 2011 event, authority officials have said.

The improvements had been in doubt for much of the year after the Detroit City Council balked in February at plans to transfer the aging facility. But members in July opted not to vote on a resolution to shoot down the state plan, clearing the way for the expansion.

lfleming@detnews.com (313) 222-2072