Salvage operation being conducted at Robertsdale stockyard

By John Underwood / john@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 4/26/17

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Nearly three years after the final sale was conducted at the Robertsdale Livestock Auction, a salvage operation is being conducted to give new life to some of the old …

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Salvage operation being conducted at Robertsdale stockyard

Posted

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Nearly three years after the final sale was conducted at the Robertsdale Livestock Auction, a salvage operation is being conducted to give new life to some of the old structure.

“Basically all of it is going to be used somewhere,” said Eric Fincher, who has contracted with the Baldwin County Livestock Auction Association to conduct the salvage operation. “I know there are some people who don’t want the structure torn down, but the way I see it, this material is being given an opportunity to serve a new purpose.”

The auction was built and run as a cooperative beginning in 1949 and served as a hub of activity for local cattlemen for more than six decades.

After running weekly for nearly 65 years, the auction was cut back to twice a month in 2013. The final sale at the stockyard was conducted in May of 2014.

“We hate to see it go,” said George Kaiser in an interview conducted before the final sale, “but we all recognized that it’s the best thing for us to do.”

Kaiser continues to serve as president of the board of directors for the association and said warehouse space which was being used as rental property behind the stockyard has already been sold and the plan remains to sell the office and auction space, along with the adjacent property if possible.

“Our decision was that the barns and the stall space behind the auction house had become an eyesore and needed to be torn down,” Kaiser said. “We contracted with Mr. Fincher and he decided to take his time and salvage the materials from the buildings.”

The majority of the wood, Fincher said, is going to Pioneer Millworks in Buffalo, New York, while most of the concrete floor will be crushed and reused for drainage ditch material and the tin roof material is being shipped to South Florida.

“This place comes with a lot of memories and we certainly respect that,” Fincher said.

Kaiser said there are no current plans to remove the main structure from the property.

“We will make that determination once the outbuildings are gone and we see what we have left,” he said.

The current salvage operation has been operating for about two months, Fincher said, and will take another six to eight weeks to complete.