Duke Energy presents grants to five communities for Site Readiness Program

For the 2015 Site Readiness Program, four promising sites were selected for their potential to bring large businesses and industries to their respective areas, including a 140-acre parcel inside the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville in Clark County; a 700-plus-acre parcel in Howard County located near the new U.S. 31 bypass around Kokomo; a 100,000-square-foot section of available space at the Industrial Jordan Manufacturing Building in Rush County located at 1250 Commerce Drive in Rushville; and 300-acre parcel at the Vermillion Rise Mega Park in Vermillion County located near Hillsdale along Indiana 63.

Each location was evaluated by nationally recognized site consulting firms, which identified each site’s viability for development and recommendations for improvement. Results were presented to local government and economic development organizations, after which Duke Energy presented a $10,000 check to the respective economic development groups to help implement the consultants’ recommendations.

Also, as part of the 2014 Site Readiness Program, Duke Energy awarded a $10,000 matching grant to the Johnson County Development Corporation and the town of Whiteland to help implement consultant recommendations for a 150-acre parcel located near Exit 95 off Interstate 65.