Opportunity knocking at Lincoln/Logan County's door      

Economic director rallies city to answer

[FEB. 8, 2005]  Infrastructure, we need infrastructure. At least we need it at sites where potential business or industry could locate. More specifically or not specifically known to all yet, we need roads and sewers to a west-side location where a serious prospect is looking.

Neither Lincoln/Logan County Development Partnership director Rob Orr nor Mayor Beth Davis, who is a member of the partnership, could say just who the prospective business is at this time. Mayor Davis did say with firmness that they are a good company. According to Orr the company is looking seriously at 50 acres on Lincoln's far west side. The company could bring 175 jobs with a potential for growth to 250 jobs. These are good-paying jobs, Orr said. He estimated them at $45,000 to $50,000-a-year jobs.

Orr implored the finance committee that met on Monday night and other members of the council present for the specially called meeting to not look at politics even though we are in a political climate here right now. Rather, we should work together as a community, Lincoln and Logan County.

Orr sees his job as keeping everyone focused on the issue at hand, and right now that is to get some funding allocated for a development. And if this development doesn't pan out, we'll be ready for the next one, which he's sure will come along soon, but won't happen if we don't do the minimum infrastructure work first. Opportunities are coming before us every week, he said. While this one could dry up before we can get everything in line, he knows that there will be others to follow. Companies are choosing communities that are ready to work with them, he says, and there are a lot of other communities that are more prepared than we are.

Lincoln and several other Logan County communities, including Mount Pulaski and Elkhart, are prime locations for the same type of industry, warehouse-distribution, that is looking at us now because of location. We have easy access to highway, railroad and a work force from all directions: Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, Springfield and Decatur.

Orr set a general vision of action before the committee. He said we need to be ready with roads, sewers, zoning and annexation changes. We need to be ready to offer creative financing, enterprise zones and other financial incentives. We need our geographic information system in place (GIS is a county-administered project that has begun that the city could help finance), which will make marketing more effective and bring us up to date with other communities. These are actions that will bring jobs to our community.

Alderman Dave Armbrust recalled a Jacksonville project that he read about. He said the company in that situation paid for the sewer work and the city paid them back over time. Armbrust said we might be more comfortable with something like that. Then you have a commitment from the company that they will stay, and the city isn't out anything upfront.

While Orr addressed all of the economic development advances that are and need to take place, he urged action on the current potential development.

With a full council at the business meeting that followed, funding of the suggested $600,000 toward economic development received 100 percent approval. Finance committee chairman Verl Prather said he would work with Orr to craft and negotiate an agreement with the company that would include a commitment of a minimum of 150 jobs. 

The funds will be appropriated from the next fiscal year, which begins May 1.

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