Ecomonic Development Projects in the Works for 2010
1/4/2010
In fact, an announcement of an business that will create jobs is almost sure to come in 2010, according to Rob Cleveland, executive director of the Blackford County Economic Development Corp. (BCEDC.)
"Every day our goal (at the BCEDC) is to add jobs in Blackford County. I hope there will be one (announcement) for sure in 2010," Cleveland said.
That announcement will be several months from now and Cleveland said he cannot make more information public now. "There are things going on that the public doesn''t know about and can''t know about (ahead of time.) That''s the nature of the economic development business.
"Sometimes it''s frustrating for when we''re trying to get positive news out," he added.
Case in point, Cleveland said, is a legal notice of a request for proposals from the Hartford City Redevelopment Commission. The notice says the Commission will accept sealed proposals at the city hall on Monday, Jan. 18, 5 p.m.
The proposals will be for the purchase of about 24.7 acres at 1204 Gilkey Ave., Hartford City, currently owned by Tru-Form Steel and Wire, Inc. It is anticipated the property will be acquired by the Hartford City Redevelopment Commission, according to the notice, although that does not mean the redevelopment commission is going to buy the property.
But all he can really say about the notice is that it is part of the process of helping the owners sell the property.
"It''s part of the process of allowing someone else to buy it," Cleveland said.
"We''re hoping someone will buy it and we do have someone in mind.
"We''re putting some steps in place. It''s a very long process," he said.
The reality, Cleveland said, is that no one, anywhere in the world,
is buying ground. "We are showing buildings," he noted.
That is because to build a facility the going rate is $20-$30 sq. ft. whereas a building can be purchased for $5-$8 sq. ft. "Even with renovations, it''s still cheaper to buy an existing building," Cleveland said.
New businesses will generally need about 70,000 sq. ft., which translates into $1.4 to $2.1 million to build.
The Montpelier industrial park already is shovel ready and the Hartford City park earned the "shovel ready" designation this year. "The (bare) land will be needed but it will be long-term.
"It''s all part of the process to get the land, get it shovel ready and find someone to put up a buildings--either them or us," Cleveland explained.
In a press release written by Cleveland at the request of the News Times, he continued, "In 2010, the BCEDC office will... continue to market and sell Blackford County to site selectors and companies looking to relocate. This will involve meeting with site selectors and decision makers from all over the country about what they are looking for when selecting a location.
"Currently, Blackford County has several options to offer a prospective company. We have vacant land in both Hartford City and Montpelier. The vacant land in both communities has been designated Shovel-Ready by the State of Indiana which helps sell the property to a prospective buyer.
"Blackford County also has a surplus of available buildings. The BCEDC is actively marketing six industrial buildings within the County. Because of the current economic climate, having existing buildings is the main way of attracting new companies to Blackford County. The bottom line is that it is much less expensive to purchase an existing building than it is to build a new building. This will not change any time in the near future.
"Blackford County needs to have available buildings in order to compete for projects. In 2009, there was not a single site visit to the available, vacant land in Blackford County. Each and every site visit by a company was made to an existing building in Blackford County. This cannot be understated.
"In the last six months of 2009, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation of the Northeast Region (of which Blackford County is a member), reported that more than 80 percent of their requests were for existing buildings. The fact that Blackford County has a surplus of existing buildings will allow us more opportunities to attract new businesses," he wrote.
Cleveland acknowledges the high unemployment rate in Blackford County, which is 12.4 percent making Blackford tied for 6th with Henry County.
But, he pointed out, that is down from a high in May of 15.4 percent. it appears that the unemployment rate has hit a plateau and is on a downward trend.
"There are a number of reasons for the decline in unemployment, but one of those reasons is that business is picking up and companies are adding jobs. We have suffered through a significant recession but the companies that remain in Blackford County are strong," Cleveland wrote.
"We have met with nearly every employer in Blackford County during the last year to assist them in expanding their operation within the County. A number of these companies have facilities outside of Blackford County. We have worked with those companies to try and gain any consolidated jobs into Blackford County.
"It is my belief that our efforts have been very successful at laying the groundwork for future expansion. We have continued to highlight the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) Community Economic Development Fund (CEDF) program that will provide up to $10,000 per new job created to any company in Blackford County that is looking to add up to 10 jobs.
"This has been a very successful campaign. We have been able to get this information in front of a number of Blackford County companies, with many of the companies exploring the program further. It is my belief that OCRA will offer more than $500,000 in CEDF money to Blackford County companies before the program comes to a conclusion. Hopefully some of those companies will be able to use those funds and create new jobs," he continued.
There are other successes that were begun in 2009 and will come to fruition in 2010 and beyond. Cleveland noted, "In 2009, the BCEDC instituted a Plant Manager and Human Resources Roundtable for Blackford County businesses. This roundtable meets on a quarterly basis at different industrial sites. While the program is in its infancy, it has still been successful in creating jobs, and allowing the County’s largest employers to convene and discuss ways to improve working conditions within the County."
Part of the process of turning the county around economically is planning. Cleveland detailed three of plans designed to "give Blackford County a road map as to how to improve the economic climate and future of Blackford County.
He wrote: In 2010, I expect there will be a significant amount planning in Blackford County. Discussion of these plans has been no secret in recent months and we are now in a place to follow through with the plans.
The planning process is vital in a community like Blackford County because the plans are truly plans of the people. The plans that we expect to conduct are: an Economic Development Strategic Plan, a Comprehensive Plan and a Downtown Revitalization Plan.
The three plans are significantly different and need to be completed. It has been more than 30 years since Blackford County’s comprehensive land use plan has been updated. Whether the land use is agriculture or industrial, each business has changed drastically in the last 30 years. The Blackford County Commissioners have been very supportive about updating the Comprehensive Plan and we expect to start the process in the second quarter of 2010.
The Economic Development Strategic Plan and the Downtown Revitalization plans will also require input from the community. We need to find a way to improve our downtowns in Blackford County. We need to work with the building owners and provide them with ways to locate funding to enhance the downtowns.
Optimistic, Cleveland said, "Overall, the business climate in Blackford County appears to be improving. We are fortunate to have so many companies that have a vested interest in the success of Blackford County. These companies are the key to our future success and we will continue to improve the business environment in which they operate."
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