Millwright announces expansion (3/3/04)

A Pennville machine shop will be moving to a new home in the town’s industrial park.

Millwright Fabrications Inc., owned by Pennville resident George Horton, has plans to construct a 20,000-square foot building in the Pennville Industrial Park.

Currently employing about 10 full-time workers, the company is now located in the former Pennville Custom Cabinets building.

The project was announced Tuesday at the monthly meeting of the Jay County Development Corporation Board of Directors by JCDC executive director Robert Quadrozzi.

Millwright Fabricators, which has been in business about a year, will become the second tenant of the town’s industrial park, joining Jet Mechanical LLC. Jet Mechanical occupies a building that was the home of Qualtech Tool and Engineering before that company moved to Portland.

Quadrozzi said that construction on the new industrial park building could begin in the next 30 to 45 days. He said that Horton plans to obtain private financing for the project, but that the down payment will likely be supported by economic development income tax funds.

The company does general metal fabrication, and it also supplies equipment such as racks and conveyors for the auto industry.

Also Tuesday, Quadrozzi announced that plans for a small speculative building in the Redkey Industrial Park are moving forward. The building may be constructed adjacent to a small building near Ind. 67 that is currently the home of a farm equipment/implement dealership.

Quadrozzi told members of his board that activity and interest in possible projects have risen — including a possible tenant for the Tiara Exclusives portion of the former Indiana Glass Company facility in Dunkirk.

Quadrozzi and Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier, a member of the JCDC board, each discussed courtesy calls they have been making together to local companies.

Hosier said that the reception from the six companies he and Quadrozzi have visited so far has been very positive.

“In some cases, if not all, it’s the first time they’ve seen the mayor in 12 years,” Quadrozzi said.

Also Tuesday, Jay County community developer Wayne Bailey gave a brief wrap-up of his recent activities — including completion of applications for three grants. Those grant requests are an $800,000 transportation enhancement grant for a Pennville streetscape project along Ind. 1; a request for $99,000 to fund a revolving loan fund for Portland; and a $35,000 request to fund comprehensive planning for Pennville as a precursor to zoning.

Bailey said he was pleased with the level of participation from the public across the county, noting large turnouts at public meetings recently in Pennville, Salamonia and Portland.

In other business Tuesday, JCDC board members:

•Learned from Sam Shoemaker, director of John Jay Center for Learning, that the center hopes to be in operation in the Weiler Building at the southeast corner of Main and Meridian streets in Portland by 2006. Shoemaker, who is retiring in June, said that the center will be working with Bailey on obtaining grant funding for renovations of the building.

•Heard member John Nill, CEO of Jay County REMC, say that Wabash Valley Power, the supplier of electricity for the local cooperative, still hopes to move forward with construction of a methane gas-powered generating plant at the Jay County Landfill.

The project, which was approved more than a year and a half ago, has been delayed several times. Nill said that one hold-up is a feasibility study that must be prepared by American Electric Power.

•Were told by Vicki Tague, director of the Portland Area Chamber of Commerce, that the annual business expo will be held May 1-2 at East Jay Middle School. Tague also briefly outlined a plan to create a student chamber of commerce.

•Heard Jay School Corporation superintendent Barbara Downing praise Westlawn Elementary School for winning an exemplary reading program award from the International Reading Association.[[In-content Ad]]