Pikeville's long-empty former Dura plant building sold

An unnamed industry has purchased the former Dura Automotive building in Pikeville, Tenn., shown here in 2008. Officials say the industry — expected to be named by Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday — paid $850,000 for the building.
An unnamed industry has purchased the former Dura Automotive building in Pikeville, Tenn., shown here in 2008. Officials say the industry — expected to be named by Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday — paid $850,000 for the building.

After years of waiting and hoping a new tenant would come along for the former Dura Automotive plant building in Pikeville, Tenn., the building has been sold.

Bledsoe County Mayor Gregg Ridley confirmed Thursday that the 15-acre site and the 140,000-square-foot building had been sold. Records show the plant and property sold for $850,000.

Ridley was tight-lipped on the name of the incoming firm since Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is expected to name the industry on Monday when he visits Pikeville.

Ridley said Thursday the sale price "was a little under, but it's real close" to the investment city and county government entities have made over the years to make it attractive to buyers.

The city of Pikeville originally bought the building in 2008, then the county Industrial Development Board Corp. purchased the building from Pikeville in May 2016. A considerable amount of work to upgrade the building continued throughout that period. The city's original purchase was funded with a city property tax increase.

"It's really a phenomenal thing that has happened in our county," Ridley said.

The city of Pikeville, its industrial development board, the county's industrial development board and the county commission all opened meetings - one after another on the same day - to conduct the business in May 2016 to sell the plant to the county board, he said.

Ridley said that was the first time that all four groups opened meetings at the same time.

"I'm excited and looking forward to the governor being here to make the announcement to our community," Ridley said.

Dura Automotive, which employed an average of 450 to 475 people, opened in 1980. The plant made automotive seat recliners and power window devices until it was shuttered in 2004.

Unemployment in Bledsoe County fell by 1.2 percentage to 4.5 percent in May, the most recent month for which county figures are available. Although Bledsoe's jobless rate is now at one of the lowest levels in the past two decades, Bledsoe still had the fifth highest unemployment rate in May among Tennessee's 95 counties.

Almost a decade ago, officials in Bledsoe hoped to take advantage of the arrival of Volkswagen in Chattanooga, which came with suppliers that needed sites for their operations. The VW plant began production in the spring of 2011. Surrounding cities and counties scrambled for incoming suppliers but most of those firms located inside Hamilton County.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.

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