(The following story by Howard Greninger appeared on The Tribune-Star website on January 5, 2010.)
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A more-than-4,500-acre site stretching across Vigo and Clay counties has been certified as a CSX Transportation Large Industrial/Light Manufacturing Mega Site by McCallum Sweeney Consulting, a leading site selection consulting firm based in Greenville, S.C.
The certification is made for potential sites within the CSX railroad service area that is suitable for large-scale manufacturing projects. Property size, access to CSX rail service, proximity to an interstate highway, labor force availability, utility infrastructure availability, environmental assessment and geotechnical considerations are some of the criteria used for certification.
The site, largely reclaimed land from the former Chinook coal mine, is the first property in Indiana, and one of only 15 sites within the entire CSX service area, to hold the certification.
For the past 30 months, Vigo and Clay County officials and the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp. have been working to obtain the special CSX designation.
While much of the property is in Clay County, most of the utilities for the site and a railroad connection are in Vigo County. It also is along Interstate 70 and near Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field.
Last year, Clay County received a $200,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, part of which paid for a survey to determine any impact to the endangered Indiana bat.
The site is unique, as it is largely owned by one owner, Resource Landholdings LLC of Colorado Springs, Colo. It is, however, about five miles from the closest water connection. One cost estimate from Indiana-American Water Co. to extend water to the site is about $1.3 million.
Extending water would not be a major hurdle, Clay County Commissioner Paul Sinders said Monday.
“Water and sewage will have to be developed, but I think that is something that is doable and definitely can be worked out,” Sinders said.
“I think this is a major plus for Clay County. This will put us on the map statewide and possibly well beyond the state and hopefully will open doors for future development of this area,” Sinders said.
“I think this is going to be a great opportunity for the two counties in the Wabash Valley to work together and pull together and hopefully we’ll see some great and positive things come from this,” Sinders said.
While the economy is down, as the national economy improves, Sinders said “this will give us an excellent opportunity to be ahead of and be a leg up on other sites” for economic development.
“We have to be working hard and getting things ready for when the economy turns around, so we are ready to go,” Sinders said.
Vigo County Commissioner Paul Mason said the joint venture shows a strong effort to bring major manufacturing to both counties.
“Those [major] kinds of businesses are going to be really hard to get, but if you have the facilities, the utilities, the railroad, the land and an airport, that is a big plus,” Mason said Monday.