Canton ethanol plant's workers worried about their jobs
<p align="justify">With Christmas approaching, nearly 50 employees of Central Illinois Energy aren't sure if they still have jobs.
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<p align="justify">"As of Monday we were informed not to come back until further notice," said Brent Kosowski, the plant's maintenance manager. Some of those workers left jobs they'd been at for more than 20 years to be a part of the ethanol co-op, he added.
<p align="justify">"Anybody that reinvests in the plant or takes it over needs to keep the staff," Kosowski said. "It would be hard to replace them."
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<p align="justify">Central Illinois Energy is a $94 million ethanol plant under construction near Canton. It is to be powered by an on-site coal generator and is projected to make 37 million gallons of ethanol a year.
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<p align="justify">The plant is nearly finished, but work recently came to a halt.
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<p align="justify">More than $30 million in liens have been filed against Central Illinois Energy by contractors who say they haven't been paid for some of their work.
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<p align="justify">A lien was filed Tuesday in the Fulton County Clerk's Office against the ethanol plant for $1,523,661 by Idaho Energy Limited Partnership. Two others were filed Monday: one from Davenport Dryer LLC for $280,716 and another from Prevention Fire Protection Inc. for $573,518.
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<p align="justify">Earlier this month, Oberlander Electric Co. filed a lien for $2,551,206.
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<p align="justify">Liens from five other contractors, including general contractor Lurgi PSI, were filed last month. Those liens total more than $26 million.
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<p align="justify">The plant's board of directors asked General Manager Mike Smith to resign Saturday, and he did.
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<p align="justify">"I am no longer the general manager, but I really don't have any public comment beyond that," Smith said. "I really can't speak for the company any more. I assume something will be released in the near future. They have appointed somebody to be in charge down there."
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Smith is a farmer from London Mills. He was a vice president at MidAmerica National Bank and left the job to accept the position as general manager of Central Illinois Energy.
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Brent King, hired by the board as a reorganizational officer for the plant, could not be reached Tuesday.
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<p align="justify">A call to Moglia Associates, the Chicago company hired recently by the board, was not returned Tuesday. According to the company's Web site, it specializes in corporate restructuring and bankruptcy services.
<p align="justify">Reach Journal Star reporter Brenda Rothert at (309) 686-3041 or state@pjstar.com. GateHouse News Service contributed to this story.
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