Industrial oven coming through Prescott

PRESCOTT – Area residents will need to be wary on Mother’s Day, May 14, as an industrial kiln will be coming through town.

According to Bruce Bean, office manager for the city of Prescott, the oven is 23-feet wide, 200-feet long and about 20-feet tall. The kiln is making its journey from Italy to New Orleans and from New Orleans to Crossett, to Prescott and on to Gum Springs, where it will be installed at Thermal Tech. If nothing changes, the kiln will be coming through Prescott at 10 a.m.

Its route will take it from Rosston on Hwy. 371 to Prescott where it will turn onto East Second Street South, heading to Main Street, where it will take a right turn and go to Hwy. 53, turn left and continue until it reaches Gum Springs.

Bean said the state has approved the route, though it took some time. The Arkansas State Police will escorting the kiln. Once installed at Thermal Tech, the kiln will be used to destroy batteries from electric cars, among other things. Because of its height, a crew will travel ahead of the kiln taking down power lines that may be damaged otherwise. A second crew is following behind replacing the lines. Bean said the electric power lines in Prescott should be high enough to avoid any problems, but there could be issue with cable and telephone lines.

The highways will be barricaded to allow the kiln to reach its destination without issue and to prevent potential accidents. Transportation is being done by Barnhart of Memphis, TN.