Dal-Tile: One year after its closing

OLEAN After 39 years working at the former Dal-Tile plant on South Clark Street, Kathy Wilcox expected to put in a few more before retiring.

I thought that after I retired, my husband would, too, and we would just enjoy our time off together, Mrs. Wilcox told the Times Herald.

Her dreams were not much different than those held by her 174 former co-workers, many of whom had worked at the facility for decades.

But exactly one year ago, the dream of finishing out her career at the only place she ever worked came to an end.

One year ago today, the tile plant closed for good, marking the end to a century of tile production in Olean.

Its tough. Ill never forget that date 12/12/12, said Mrs. Wilcox, who was president of the plants union. Its still very hard for me to drive past the plant ... I actually drive a different way when Im in that end of town so I dont have to go by it. But if I do drive past it, I just look the other way.

Officials with Mohawk Industries, the parent company of Dal-Tile International, Inc., announced in October 2012 the plant would stop all operations by mid-December of that year. The decision came after corporate officials rejected a proposal by state and local officials that offered tax breaks and access to low-cost power, among other incentives. But even with that economic assistance, corporate officials said it would cost $10 million annually to keep the facility open.

The plants operations were moved to a sister facility in Gettysburg, Pa., which is now the only Dal-Tile facility in the U.S. producing mosaic tile. The Gettysburg operation is not unionized.

When I found out the plant was closing, I thought it was just a dream, said Barbara Carlson, who worked at the plant for nearly four decades. It took your breath away to hear that news ... It seemed like your whole life was crashing down.

But that news wasnt necessarily a surprise, Mrs. Carlson said.

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Dal-Tile: One year after its closing