021018 Court Approves Demolition of Farmland SiteOctober 11, 2002Kansas City, MO - Farmland Foods announced it would begin demolition of the Albert Lea, Minn., pork processing facility that was destroyed by fire in July 2001 in compliance with the city's order of removal. A motion to allow Farmland to enter into a contract for demolition and removal of fire-damaged buildings and personal property in Albert Lea, Minn., was approved yesterday by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Missouri. Farmland's Albert Lea, Minn., processing facility was destroyed by fire in July 2001. Farmland has submitted claims to its fire and casualty insurance companies but the claims have not yet been resolved. In January, the City of Albert Lea issued an order for Farmland to raze the remaining buildings from the property by Dec. 21, 2002, and to remove all personal property that might interfere with razing by Oct. 21, 2002. The city has agreed to take title to the property once demolition is complete. "Our plans for rebuilding a plant at another site in Albert Lea have been slowed by our reorganization and the delay in the resolution of insurance claims. We will take another look at that project once our claims are resolved and we emerge from bankruptcy," said Bill Fielding, executive vice president of Farmland's Refrigerated Foods businesses.
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