How Sazerac plans to avoid the collapsing bourbon warehouse nightmare in MurfreesboroMurfreesboro and Tennessee officials say a future Sazerac distillery should be built with higher standards than the older whiskey barrel warehouse that recently collapsed in Kentucky.

“The warehouses must be designed by a licensed structural engineer to meet the structural requirements adopted in our building code,” said Sam Huddleston, an environmental engineer who recently accepted promotion to serve as Murfreesboro’s first executive director of the city’s Development Services Division.

Sazerac seeks to open an $86 million distillery approved by the Murfreesboro City Council by early 2020 after purchasing 55 acres July 3 for $2.3 million on Asbury Road off a nearby Florence Road overpass of Interstate 24.

Florence Road area neighbor David Colin said he’s concerned about what could happen to a 5-acre lake on the Sazerac property that connects to nearby natural water resources.

“I personally feel like there is a serious threat to the wildlife,” said Colin, who’s concerned about a trend to protect businesses by reducing regulations. “Even a minor spill can be a problem to wildlife.”

Routine inspection, maintenance will be critical for distillery, official saysHow Sazerac plans to avoid the collapsing bourbon warehouse nightmare in Murfreesboro

In addition to reducing warehouse height, the council stipulated that a future five-lane road from the Sazerac property entrance to Florence Road must be completed before the distillery can open.

Sazerac agreed to contribute $1.25 million to the road work, and the city won a $5.6 million fund from the state to help pay for the project.

The city also plans to connect the five-lane road to a future interchange of I-24 and an extension of Cherry Lane from Memorial Boulevard by the Siegel Soccer Complex & Community Park.

The Cherry Lane project would stretch to a future interchange with Interstate 840 and an overpass bridge of Broad Street with ramps before connecting to Florence Road and I-24.

Conditions by the council also require a gate to be installed at the Asbury Road driveway to prevent this neighborhood street from emerging as a public access route for a distillery expecting to attract 50,000 visitors annually within five to 10 years.

Colin, the Florence Road area neighbor, said he’s pleased with the added conditions on the distillery but remains skeptical.

“I don’t have a lot of confidence in the city officials who are seeing dollar signs relative to the roads and increasing business presence in a residential area,” Colin said.

Sazerac will face workplace safety standards when the distillery opens, said Steve Hawkins, assistant commissioner for Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Reach Scott Broden through email at sbroden@dnj.com, phone at 615-260-0523 or on Twitter @ScottBroden.

Sazerac’s Barton 1792 Distillery’s seven-story warehouse in Bardstown, Kentucky, imploded July 4 after half of its wooden-structure collapsed June 22, according to a USA TODAY NETWORK story from the Louisville Courier Journal.

About half of the 18,000 barrels crashed to the ground June 22, and what was left came down July 4. No one was injured in either incident, and reports were not available yet to assess the value of bourbon or the potential environmental impact.

Conditions by the Murfreesboro council included how the future distillery’s four warehouses for whiskey barrels must be reduced from 66 feet high to 56 feet to make them less visible to neighbors and I-24 commuters.

Sazerac spokeswoman Amy Presky said the future barrel warehouses will be sturdily built using the latest technology and standards.

Sazerac spokeswoman Amy Presky said the future barrel warehouses will be sturdily built using the latest technology and standards.

“We have full confidence that the barrel warehouses we are planning to build will be well constructed and sound,” Presky said.

The future distillery will face scrutiny from a Murfreesboro Building Codes staff overseen by Huddleston.

“The structural design standards currently in effect and the heavy-construction materials available today are much improved from a safety, strength, and structural integrity stand point,” said Huddleston, noting he’s unaware of what caused the collapse of the barrel warehouse in Kentucky. “However, a routine of inspection and maintenance is critical to the long-term stability of any constructed facility.”

“The structural design standards currently in effect and the heavy-construction materials available today are much improved from a safety, strength, and structural integrity stand point,” said Huddleston, noting he’s unaware of what caused the collapse of the barrel warehouse in Kentucky. “However, a routine of inspection and maintenance is critical to the long-term stability of any constructed facility.”

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