Published Tuesday, February 18, 2003
promises
industrial
park aid
if area site chosen
New Castle News
Gov. Ed Rendell has committed to giving Lawrence County $15 million to build sewers and an interchange on state Route 60 in an attempt to lure major industries to Neshannock Township.
Rendell's promise was announced at a breakfast news conference Monday at the New Englander. The event was organized by state and local officials to detail $25.7 million worth of plans for construction of sewer mains, highway ramps and other infrastructure for the proposed Millennium Industrial Park off King's Chapel Road.
Of that amount, $10.7 million would be matched by local municipalities and the county.
The local officials and Rendell have made it clear that they want the site to be ready to go if a large company should plan to build there. The local and state officials met with Rendell in Harrisburg last Tuesday to discuss money needed to prepare Millennium Park, 1,200 industrial acres off Route 60 at King's Chapel Road.
That was when Rendell, seeing the potential for economic development in western Pennsylvania, committed to the $15 million. The site is being prepared and promoted in the hope of attracting a major semi-conductor company that already has expressed interest in the property as one of a few sites in the country where it could build.
Should that company choose Lawrence County, it would bring with it about 1,300 jobs and attract another 1,700 spinoff jobs.
The company has not yet committed to where it will build, and local officials have signed confidentiality agreements to not disclose the company's identity during the site search.
Most of the negotiations for what officials have named Project NEMO are taking place in Harrisburg because it will take a major investment from the state to provide transportation, sewers, water and other utilities.
Meanwhile, Rendell will contact IDC, the Portland-based consulting scout for the company, to request a meeting. Rendell also has agreed to assign a staff member from the state Department of Community and Economic Development as a full-time representative for the project.
The funds promised Monday by Rendell are from $35 million that have been budgeted in a pending Senate bill. State Rep. Chris Sainato pointed out Monday morning that often when money is budgeted for projects, it is not always allocated.
He and the other county and township officials have presented a united front in promoting the King's Chapel Road site as one of strong economic potential. Rendell, after touring the property, has hung his hat on it as a worthwhile location for development, other state officials said Monday.
The recipient of the $15 million will be the Lawrence County Economic Development Corp. The money would be matched by the townships and city through $7.2 million in sewer bond issues for building a 48-inch-diameter West Bank "super sewer" main and accompanying sewer extensions and access roads.
The sewer would accommodate the estimated flow of 2.5 million gallons per day that the semiconductor company would need. Additionally, the county has committed to providing $3.5 million for preparation of the site by either floating a bond issue and paying it back through the county's debt service tax millage, or by borrowing the money and establishing a revolving loan fund, Commissioner Roger M. DeCarbo said.
The state's $15 million, along with the $10.7 million in local funds, would be used to:
» Complete the existing West Bank sewer project for $7.2 million.
» Upgrade the existing West Bank sewer interceptor by furnishing a 48-inch main to the King's Chapel property and build lateral tap-ins to the building at a cost of $6.9 million.
» Acquire land for $3.1 million.
» Complete engineering for $1.5 million.
» Build access roads and on- and off-ramps to Route 60 at $4 million.
» Extend utilities such as water and electricity, $1.5 million.
» Accomplish other site preparation, $1.5 million.
Rendell has agreed to work with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to release the estimated $4 million for new on- and off-ramps to Route 60, stressing an importance for construction as soon as possible after a design is completed.
Linda Nitch, executive director of the Lawrence County Economic Development Corp., said she foresees the construction of the sewers and other utilities for Millennium Park moving forward as early as this spring or summer, with completion by December.
She pointed out that several hundred acres also will have to be acquired for the project and that the Economic Development Corp. has options on some of the land.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is being asked to expedite all permits for sewage disposal.
About 158 acres of the designated 1,200-acre industrial park was designated as a Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone two years ago, making new construction tax exempt until Dec. 31, 2013.
Lawrence County commissioners plan to ask the state to extend the Keystone Opportunity Zone by another 250 acres.