Upgrades planned at Industrial Park

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March 21, 2009

LEDF facilitating partnership to cover up to $83,000.

by Kevin Lilly Pharos-Tribune Sat Mar 21, 2009, 10:21 PM EDT

Available property at the Industrial Park might soon be receiving additional prep work in order to improve its marketability.

Last week, Skip Kuker, president of Logansport-Cass County Economic Development Foundation, went before the Logansport Redevelopment Commission seeking up to $73,000 for soil borings and other site preparation on the park’s five remaining properties, which total 77 acres. The plan is to earn the state’s “pad-ready” distinction.

One site at the Industrial Park is already considered “shovel-ready.” Kuker wants to go beyond that by completing even more work that would eventually be required if a company bought the land with intentions of building on it. Kuker sees the expense as a way to set Cass County apart from the competition.

“It’s a lot of work and a lot of ground work needs to be done,” Kuker said. “We just want to get this all put together. It makes Cass County stand out a little bit more.”

If approved at the commission’s April 21 meeting, work would begin this summer. On completion, the surveying, title work, soil borings, maps and environmental studies would be ready.

“That cuts the process time that a company may need to come in, and if they’re interested in land, it’s makes it that much faster to be able to go in and know exactly what soil types are underneath and what they need to do to put a building up,” he said.

The Industrial Park board, made up of Kuker, Steve Sims, James Bauer, Annette Russell, Dick Hettinger, Steve Schwering, Craig Currier, Gene Powlen, Brian King and attorneys John Hillis and Kelly Leeman, would partner with the redevelopment commission, which consists of Allen Schieber, Judy McNarny, Paul Kroeger, Doug Weaver, Andrew Miller and Lynne Ness. The board is willing to contribute up to $10,000.

The $73,000 would come from TIF funding, which is generated by property taxes levied on real property in certain districts.

According to Kuker’s presentation to the commission, the state has a database of shovel-ready sites. Cass County has one such site in the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s program. Kuker said that after the site’s certification in October 2007, he began receiving interest, and even though nothing has panned out, he remains confident in the approach.

Cass County was the 20th county to join the shovel ready program. Now it’s looking to put more sites on the list.

“For a small, rural community like we are, we’re pretty aggressive,” Kuker said.

Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com

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Upgrades planned at Industrial Park

LEDF facilitating partnership to cover up to $83,000.

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