Spec building was complete

Twenty-five years ago this week, Dunkirk was making a push to attract new industry.

The Nov. 12, 1996, edition of The Commercial Review featured a story about the city’s new spec building that was nearly complete.

Bob Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, reported to Dunkirk City Council at its Nov. 11, 1996, meeting that the building was 99% complete.

Members of Dunkirk Area Chamber of Commerce were scheduled to take a tour of the building two days later as part of their monthly meeting.

A final walk-through was scheduled for Nov. 19, with Dunkirk Industrial Development Corporation to check for any last-minute changes that might need to be made. Quadrozzi also invited council members.

“I think we’ve got a real good building,” he said, explaining plans to market the structure and indicating that it could be purchased outright, leased or leased with an option to purchase. “We’ll continue our best efforts to market it.”

The new building, located on 4.3 acres on the northeast side of Dunkirk of county road 450 South near Dunkirk City Park, measured 30,000 square feet with 2,000 square feet as office space. The city had an additional 15 acres of land if a buyer was interested.

The cost of the project came in at about $670,000, with the bulk of the cost being paid from the city’s economic development income tax (EDIT) revenue.

Quadrozzi reported that the only steps remaining to complete construction were providing “minimal electrical service” so lights and heating equipment could be hooked up.

“No property tax money has been used on that building,” Quadrozzi said, responding to a question from Dunkirk resident John Ireland. “You as a property taxpayer will not have to pay a dime for that building.”