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The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 6

Location:
Salina, Kansas
Issue Date:
Page:
6
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

REFINERY AFIRE A fire Monday damaged a portion of the Farmland Industries Refinery at Phillipsburg. It was not known Tuesday what effect the blaze would have on Photo courtesy Perry Hanson, Phillips County Review the facility's future. No one was hurt in the blaze. Oil refinery's fate uncertain after fire By LINDA MOWERY Great Plains Editor PHILLIPSBURG Officials of Farmland Industries will decide later this week the future of the company's Phillipsburg refinery, which was damaged Monday by fire. fire was confined to the platform unit in the product coolers," said Walt Seidel, refinery manager.

"It was a severe fire, a very hot fire." The platform unit contains equipment used in making unleaded gasoline. The fire stopped production of gasoline stock in the unit that produces 5,000 barrels a day. The worst of the blaze lasted about 30 minutes. At one point flames shot 100 to 150 feet into the air. There were from six to eight workers in the fire area and Seidel said the worst injuries were sprained ankles and wrenched backs.

"We were very fortunate," Seidel said. Several small explosions accompanied the fire after refinery coolers built up too much pressure. Seidel said firefighters the refinery has its own fire department let the blaze burn itself out. The fire continued to smolder Monday afternoon. "It was a matter of getting the source of fuel isolated and keeping adjacent equipment cool," he said.

Seidel said he did not know the cause of the fire or how much dollar damage was done. Insurance adjusters are expected to arrive Wednesday or Thursday. He also did not know how the fire would affect the planned shutdown of the refinery this fall. The Phillipsburg refinery is operated Burros get a kick out of new lifestyle By KAY BERENSON Staff Writer Their ancestors may have hauled a prospector's tools during the California Gold Rush, but Amanda and Jocko apparently prefer the quiet lifestyle of a Kansas pasture. At least the two formerly "wild" burros have settled down in a pasture at the rural Salina home of Dale and Pat Ackley, who adopted the animals through the Bureau of Management.

When the Ackleys brought the animals home, they were so wild no one could get within 50 feet of them. The Ackleys took pictures with a telephoto lens. Now Jocko and Amanda vie for attention from their "family" and from visitors. When Pat brushes Amanda, Jocko gently nudges her arm to remind her he wants a turn as well. So far the animals' only trick is being cute, but Pat hopes eventually to get a small cart and train Jocko to pull it.

She's also hoping for the "patter of little hooves" come next spring. The Ackleys have no commercial interest in the burros though. Bureau of Land Management rules for adopting the animals specify they cannot be exploited in carnival acts or similar enterprises. Pat said the animals would have been killed if they had not been adopted. The burros, descendants of animals used in mining operations in earlier days, have multiplied to the point where they destroy the sparse vegetation required by other native species of animals.

Rather than allow other wildlife to become extinct, the BLM decided some of the burros had to be removed or killed. After seeing a television show about the burros, the Ackleys decided to apply to adopt a pair. In March they got a call that they had been approved and could pick up the animals in Nebraska. The Ackleys paid the adoption fee of $60 for each animal and embarked on a project to win the animals' affection and trust. From March 14 until May 20, the burros stubbornly refused to have anything to do with humans, despite lures A REAL HAM Pat Ackley poses with Jocko a burro who isn't one bit camera shy.

The Ackleys' other burro, of grain, molasses and any goodies the Ackleys could think of. Breakthrough Finally Pat was able to get close enough to touch them. "The first time we were able to touch them went away crying," she said. "It was such a Journal Photo by Tom Dorsey Amanda, was out of camera range when this photo was taken. breakthrough." Now it's hard to believe the animals had never seen grass or pasture until March or that they were not raised around humans.

Jocko doesn't even bray anymore. He has nothing to complain about, Pat says. by CRA, a subsidiary of Farmland Industries. This April, Farmland announced it would place the local facility, the first farmer-owned cooperative in the United States, in mothball condition, which means it could be reopened if demand for petroleum products increases or the economy improves. "I don't know what this fire will do," Seidel said.

"This could change our plans on the shutdown date." The refinery opened in Phillipsburg in 1939. About 136 workers will lose their jobs when it closes. The refinery is this town's second largest employer. Dole aide plans stop in Salina Sen. Bob Dole announced Monday that his regional representative, Steve Coen, will be in Salina meeting with various local government officials on Thursday, and will be available to meet with constituents in the Salina area on that date.

Anyone needing assistance with Social Security claims, Veterans' Administration affairs, military pensions, or those who have questions about federal programs or who wish to express an opinion on federal legislation are encouraged to arrange an appointment with Coen by writing the senator's Wichita office at 100 N. Broadway, Wichita, 67202, or by phoning the office at 1-316-263-4956. Post Office to be closed on July 5 The United States Post Office will be closed Monday, July 5, in observance of the Fourth of July holiday. There will be no window service or delivery service on that day. The lock box service, special delivery service, receipt and dispatch of mail and mail collections will all be on the holiday schedule.

Normal services and schedules will resume on Tuesday, July 6. Salvadoran soldiers seek missing journalists SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (UPI) The Salvadoran Green Cross sent a rescue team Tuesday to the site where six journalists, including a U.S. resident, disappeared while covering a clash between leftist guerrillas and government troops. Peasants on the road south of Suchitoto, a town of 10,000 some 24 miles north of the capital, said Monday that rebels had apparently taken at least one of the Journalists from a battle site. The peasants said the guerrillas left with "a gringo" apparently Julian Harrison, 32, a British citizen and cameraman for UPITN who has lived in Hillsborough, N.C., for 10 years as well as Latin men who may have been the other journalists.

I Salina Journal Tuesday, June 29, 1982 Page 6 Area lenders less than enthusiastic over 13.5% MRBs By DALE GOTER Staff Writer It's difficult to get too excited about percent mortgage rates, even if the prevailing rate is 16 percent. Area lenders conveyed that sentiment to bond underwriters in Salina Monday during an information meeting on a proposed $26,500,000 mortgage revenue bond issue. About 30 lenders, Realtors and government officials attended the session at Government Center Monday to hear details of the proposed nine-county issue. The information was provided by underwriters from Wichita and Denver, who hope to market the bond issue on behalf of the nine counties. In addition to being an informational session for lenders, the meeting was designed to allow the underwriters to determine how high an MRB interest rate would be tolerated by the lenders.

Lender interest is vital to the success of the program, as each lender individually decides how much of the bond issue his firm is willing to handle. The lenders pay a sizeable fee for participating in the program, and the fee is recovered only if the lender writes enough mortgages to cover his commitment. Although no formal poll was taken, it appeared at the end of Monday's meeting that the bond issue would be marketed only if it yielded a mortgage rate of percent or less. If the bond market deteriorates to the point that the 13Ms percent mark cannot be met, the proposal would be withdrawn. Although percent interest was tentatively set as the maximum, there was some concern that even that figure could be too high.

Randy Graham, officer of Security Savigns and Loan, noted that local already are writing some mortgages in that interest range, and the response has been less than overwhelming. The lower rate is possible when a home is sold with an assumable mortgage that was originally written at interest rates in the 10 percent range common a few years ago. The rewrites the mortgage for the new owner, adjusting it upwards in response to current high interest rates, but still keeping it several points below the rate on new mortgages. The market for those assumable mortgages has been relatively soft, Graham said, which could indicate a weak demand for the MRB mortgages in the 13 percent range. Bond underwriters from United Securities of Wichita will circulate the final version of the proposed MRB issue to area lenders in the next several days to get a formal response to the offer.

If the bond issue was marketed, the The proposal at a glance Here are the highlights of the proposed mortgage revenue bond program which may be offered in this area: WHO IS ELIGIBLE: Lower interest mortgages would be available to first-time homebuyers in the participating nine counties. WHAT LIMITATIONS APPLY: Mortgages would be issued only to "first-time buyers," defined as anybody who has not owned a home in the past three years. In contrast to earlier MRB issues, no income limits apply, although income tax forms would be used to verify the "first-time buyer" eligibility. Also, the MRB mortgages could not exceed $55,377 on a new home, and $41,600 on an existing home. WHERE IT'S OFFERED: Proceeds from the bond issue would be available for mortages in the following counties: Saline, Dickinson, Clay, Cloud, Marion, Ottawa, Mitchell, Geary, Riley and Morris.

HOW MUCH IS AVAILABLE: Underwriters hope to market a $26,500,000 bond issue, which would yield $25,175,000 in mortgage funds. WHEN IT'S AVAILABLE: Mortgage funds would not be available for several weeks, and only will be offered if the bond issue is marketed successfully at an acceptable interest rate. WHAT INTEREST RATE: The MRB issue would not be marketed unless it can yield mortgage funds with an interest rate to the homebuyer not exceeding percent, according to present indications. Improvements in the bond market could result in a slightly lower rate. HOW IT IS REPAID: The homebuyer's payments the first three years would be set up as though the mortgage were a 30- year loan.

However, each year after the third year, the payment is increased three percent, compounded annually. The effect is that the mortgage actually would be paid off in 17 years. The format is called a Graduated Equity Mortgage (GEM). TIME LIMITS: Lenders would have until Sept. 1, 1983, to use up their share of the bond issue.

Deadline for actually closing the loans is July 24,1984. proceeds would be available later this year, and loans issued under the program could be closed up until the summer of 1984. Police try to curb noise on busy Salina street Stepped-up patrols by Salina Police on Santa Fe this weekend resulted in numerous traffic summonses being issued along the thoroughfare, but only one person was ticketed for violating the city's noise ordinance. Police Capt. Glen Kochanowski said Monday a 17-year-old Salinan was arrested for excessive noise in the 500 block of S.

Santa Fe around 1 a.m. Saturday when he rapidly accelerated his car. The youth then reportedly started to curse the officer and was cited for disorderly conduct. A small amount of marijuana allegedly was found on the youth when he was taken to the Saline County Jail. The increase in patrols was prompted, in part, by a request from Commissioner Merle Hodges at last week's city commission meeting.

Hodges, who lives in the 800 block of S. Santa Fe, said the noise on the heavily traveled street was becoming excessive once again. He asked City Manager Rufus Nye to have police monitor the noise in an attempt to quiet down the traffic on Santa Fe, which for years has been a popular street for the city's youths to congregate. "We had officers on Santa Fe Friday night from 7 until 2 (a.m.)," Kochanowski said. Officers weren't needed Saturday night because of the heavy rain, but they returned again Sunday from 7 until 2 a.m.

While police say they wrote more tickets, they also say the noise problem which is due in part to the large amount of traffic remains. "We wrote more tickets, but the traffic still is there," Kochanowski said. Police say they will maintain their increased efforts at curbing noise on the busy street. Fate of section of Cherokee Street may depend on study's acceptance The fate of Cherokee Street between Republic and Cloud may depend on the acceptance of adjoining property owners and residents to a feasibility report prepared by the city engineering department. If residents agree to accept assessment charges, the city will pave the dirt and gravel road.

Complaints about the dust, coupled with an apparent lack of initiative on the part of surrounding residents to pe- tition the city to pave the street, prompted the city action. The total cost has been estimated at $196,360 for either an eight-inch asphalt surface or six inches of concrete. This would bring the road up to city street standards, City Engineer Dean Boyer said. Boyer plans to meet with residents along the road to discuss the work and their share of the assessments, which would from $1,100 to $2,100..

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About The Salina Journal Archive

Pages Available:
473,796
Years Available:
1951-2009