Knox County Development Corp. losing longtime tenant in industrial park

But when it came time to renew the annual lease, Utt said Winfield officials announced that they would be vacating the building and consolidating with other warehouses in Crawfordsville, Ky., and Hopkinsville, Ky.

The news was something of a blow, Utt said, as Winfield pays KCDC about $66,000 in rent annually on the warehouse.

But Winfield's leaving also offers up new opportunity. Utt said of the 120 inquiries that have been sent to the Indiana Economic Development Commission from company owners so far this year, over a third of them wanted a site with an existing building and another third indicated they were willing to either build new or renovate an existing building.

“That means 68 percent of those site selectors would take either, and that’s an opportunity for us that someone could choose that building and, perhaps, even employ more people.”

Utt told the group the warehouse is about 24,000 square feet, but Winfield's workforce at the site is only four employees.

Utt said the warehouse was built in 1986, so it is in need of some updating, including a new roof. He directed KCDC’s site development committee to take a look at the building once Winfleld vacates it and determine what can be done to make it more attractive to site selectors.

The building has also, Utt said, been listed on various websites targeted at companies looking for places to relocate or build.

John Hidde, chairman of the site development committee, suggested KCDC also market the building to existing employers who might be looking for additional warehouse space.

Utt said the building was once used for welding so is already ventilated properly for that kind of work.

The committee has also begun taking steps to prepare for development nearly 50 acres KCDC bought earlier this year adjacent to the existing U.S. 41 Industrial Park, an area known as the Lewis property because it was bought from the late Bob Lewis’ family.

Utt said that site would be marketed to the other 32 percent of businesses looking for ground only.

Hidde reported to the board that the committee has hired a surveyor to do a complete survey of the area and has begun working to see what it will take to have various utilities run to the site.

Utt said they have also been working with Banning Engineering on getting the proper easements.

KCDC can either run utilities — like electricity, sanitary sewer and drinking water — to the site in preparation for more industry, or have a “plan in place” for when an interested business comes knocking.

It’s likely, Utt said, that KCDC will choose the latter so any utility connection can be catered to the industry itself.

For instance, any preparation KCDC would have done to the site on which Farbest Foods built its multi-million turkey processing plant wouldn’t have been adequate for the company's needs and would have required significant expansion and modification.

KCDC still has about 41 acres of shovel-ready ground in the existing U.S. 41 Industrial Park along Elkhorn Road. And another 70 acres is leased out to a local farmers.

Utt also said Rick Andrews, the owner of Andrews Oil Co. in Mt. Carmel, Ill., told him plans were progressing well for the construction of a large-scale convenience store and gas station at the site of the former Executive Inn.

Andrews bought the old hotel nearly a year ago and proceeded to raze it for the construction of a Marathon Fastbreak.

Utt said when the building is completed, it will include a new restaurant — he did not disclose the name — and will employ, in all, about 175 people.