Plan sought to raise, remove sinking barge from Chattanooga after act of 'sabotage'

We want to see this eyesore gone."

With the rundown barge on Chattanooga's waterfront partially swamped again -- this time as a result of an apparent act of sabotage -- a half-dozen agencies met Tuesday to try to find a way to raise the vessel.

Also, the trustee in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court case involving Chattanooga businessman Allen Casey's barge said he plans to meet this weekend with a Mississippi company about moving the vessel from its location across from Ross's Landing.

"I'd transfer title to them and pay them to take the barge," said Jerrold Farinash, the court-appointed trustee. "The barge is a liability."

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke said the city's Public Works Department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chattanooga police, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Friends of the Festival and Farinash talked by phone Tuesday to try to find a solution to refloat the barge.

Friends of the Festival, which runs the Riverbend Festival and operates a performance barge, has large pumps which may be useful to displace the water in the Casey vessel, the mayor said.

A restaurant barge, owned by Allen Casey, is seen from the Market Street Bridge on Oct. 23, 2014.

The barge is seen Tuesday, March 24, 2015, after sinking deeper into the Tennessee River.

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"We're trying to figure out some way to get it done," he said.

Berke said he's "incredibly frustrated" with the barge, which Casey floated downtown years ago to turn into a restaurant. The dilapidated barge has since become an eyesore and target of criticism.

The mayor said the police department was part of the conversation after Farinash charged that the barge was intentionally vandalized, which caused it to sink.

The trustee said someone moved a hose attached to a pump that was to have been discharging water from the barge. Instead, he said, the hose was diverted inside the vessel, causing it to sink.

Farinash said that by the time it was discovered that the line was moved, the barge had sunk about four feet.

"It was an act of vandalism," said Farinash, who planned to file a police report. "It sounds like sabotage."

Pumping the water out of the boat should be a two-day process once the work starts, Farinash said. However, there's no money to pay for the pumps.

He said he's working on securing a $350,000 loan from Southern Community Bank in Tullahoma, Tenn., to pay for dismantling and removing the barge. That amount is up from an earlier figure of $225,000.

Farinash said he hopes to file a plan with the bankruptcy court by today.

This weekend, Farinash plans to visit the Biloxi, Miss., company, which he described as a marine salvage business, that's interested in moving the barge.

"They've done much bigger stuff than this," Farinash said.

There were concerns that the latest sinking incident caused debris on the barge to wash down river. Farinash said he thought the debris was that which had accumulated from the river, adding there's no fuel or asbestos on the barge.

This is the second time the barge has sunk. In 2011, the vessel sank even farther into the Tennessee River, requiring months to refloat it.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it is monitoring the barge. Corps spokesman Lee Roberts said it has informed its navigation section about reports of possible debris.

Bob Doak, who heads the Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he is looking forward to the day when "we as citizens and our guests and visitors won't have to be subjected to look at that."

"It's a mess," he said, adding he does not blame anyone but Casey. "I'm thankful for everybody working to make this go away."

Berke said that while the city doesn't have jurisdiction over the barge, it convened the meeting Tuesday, acknowledging that legal proceedings are slow.

"We want to see this eyesore gone," he said.

Gary Patrick, an attorney for a group of former investors in the barge who are suing Casey and his company, said he believes there's a need for more security at the site off Manufacturers Road where the barge is moored.

"I think there was a lock on the gate," he said. "Someone is finding a way to get around that."

Patrick said he's optimistic the barge may be removed in the near future.

Also, Casey had proposed a hotel and condominiums on about 10 acres of vacant land to which the barge is moored. About six acres of the site was earlier put on the market for $11.2 million.

The bank loan to remove the barge would be paid back from proceeds of the land sale, attorneys have said.

Contact staff writer Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.

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