MUNCIE – Years after a local manufacturer vacated a Bethel Avenue business for a still-growing location miles to the west, Delaware County officials say they’re close to finding a new user for the original building.
The Delaware County Redevelopment Commission is hoping that an existing Muncie business will purchase the former Twoson Tool building at Bethel and Morrison Road and set up shop, expanding and adding employees.
Officials declined to publicly name the existing local company on Thursday, but The Star Press learned that the possible re-use of the Twoson building was the subject of a closed-door executive session of the DCRC early Thursday.
“Delaware County has a party interested in Twoson,” economic development officer Brad Bookout confirmed. The county has 45 days to work out the details of an agreement, although Bookout said the matter might be on the agenda of the commission’s April meeting.
The 72,000-square-foot building, as well as a smaller, adjacent building, have been in the county’s hands since 2010, when the county bought the property for about $2 million to encourage Mursix — the auto industry supplier formerly known as Twoson — to locate in the Park One/332 complex along Ind. 332 at Interstate 69.
Although county officials are relieved at the prospect of finally selling the former Twoson building on Bethel, Bookout said Thursday the process has been beneficial.
“We gave $2 million to Twoson and they invested $12 million — and now that’s up to $15 million — in the old TK Constructors building at Park One,” Bookout said. “And they grew from 83 employees to 350 employees in three years.”