By Howard Greninger, The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE - Vigo County officials have turned away from the prospect of establishing a new industrial park near the Clay County line and instead are focusing on expanding near the county's existing park along U.S. 41, south of Terre Haute.
The county board of commissioners had envisioned a 1,450-acre tract for an industrial park in the southwest field of the abandoned Chinook Coal Mine property south of Interstate 70 and east of Tabortown Road at the Vigo/Clay county line.
The Terre Haute Economic Development Corp. had hired the engineering firm The Corradino Group to study the site and create a master plan for which an industrial park could be developed. Plans even included seeking a new interchange off I-70 near Tabortown Road.
However, the cost of the abandoned mine property would be too much, commissioners said Monday.
"They were asking about $12,000 an acre," said Commissioner Judith Anderson. Commissioners met with the owners of the property, RLF Chinook Properties LLC of Colorado Springs, Colo., about three months ago, she said.
RLF Chinook Properties LLC will sell 2,080 acres in 94 tracts in an auction Sept. 8. Real estate previews of the property are being staged this month in advance of the auction by Schrader Real Estate & Auction Co. Inc.
The tracts range from 4.5 acres to 120 acres.
"It is a Catch-22 type thing as far as the interchange and industrial park. You will not get an interchange [from Interstate 70] without cause and you will not get the industrial park working without a means to transport," Anderson said.
Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., said the Corradino study showed that only about 2,000 acres of the former mine was undisturbed farmland, best suited for an industrial park. About 600 acres of that is included in the Sept. 8 auction, Witt said. That leaves about 1,400 acres; however, that land is in Clay County.
"That has potential, but once that is parceled, it is not any more valuable than other land," he said.
However, while undisturbed farmland is best for an industrial park, the area still contains thousands of acres of property south of Interstate 70 that can be developed as an inland port, said state Rep. Clyde Kersey, D-Terre Haute.
Kersey said Thursday a legislative study committee will review the site as a potential inland port, because of its proximity to the Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field.
"It is also the railroad there and the interstate. This auction, however, is kind of a bomb because that puts a whole new wrinkle on it," said Kersey, who is vice chairman of the study committee.
Witt said the inland port concept "is something that is not necessarily tied just to the Chinook property, though it is one alternate. Ultimately, CSX [Transportation Inc.] will be the determining factor on how that project goes forward. It will be CSX who would decide where such a facility [inland port] will be located."
Vigo County commissioners now hope to create a new industrial park adjacent or close to the existing county industrial park, about six miles south of Terre Haute.
Commissioner Paul Mason said he would like to see the county focus on "adjoining land or nearby land since we have the infrastructure in place, but we would still have to run power and water, but I think that would be a plus."
Commissioner David Decker said the county had considered the RLF Chinook Properties LLC land because "it is hard to find a piece of ground that large, with that many acres, with one owner. It gets parceled out, it is no more attractive than other areas," he said.
In addition, rail service to that property has been abandoned for a long time, making it expensive to restore a railroad "so renovation costs could get up there," Decker said.
Decker also advocates obtaining property near the existing park, close to existing utilities. That also would fit into future development plans, Decker said.
"We are going to get a new interchange at U.S. 41 and Harlan," Decker said, "which will be an INDOT [Indiana Department of Transportation] project."
In addition, commissioners are working on a back entrance to the industrial park. Harlan Road could become Indiana 63 from U.S. 41 west to the current Indiana 63. The county in exchange would take over maintenance of some road miles now handled by INDOT.
"Indiana 63 would go down Harlan Road and Indiana 63 and U.S. 41 would be the same until it splits up in the north part of Terre Haute," Decker said.
"The city [of Terre Haute] will take over [maintenance] of Indiana 63 down to Lombardi [Drive], which is past the [federal] prison, to become a city street. Then the county would take Indiana 63 from Lombardi down to Harlan Road as a county road."
"The state would enhance Harlan Road to a state highway, which would have a better back entrance to the industrial park, so that would be ideal," Decker said.
Decker said he also wants to see the county and city work to attract light industrial business to the former Coke & Carbon property at 13th and Hulman streets. In addition, land near the Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field can be developed for companies related to air travel, he said.