by justin strawser
MOUNT CARMEL TOWNSHIP - Several pieces recently falling into place may help the Coal Township-SEEDCO Industrial Park reach its potential of reinvigorating the local economy.
These pieces include December's million-dollar rail expansion project, last month's start of a pump station construction project to service businesses in the park and the approval of a $230,000 grant to build an access road into the park.
Construction of the $1.8 million pump station in the park started in early March, and the chairman of the Mount Carmel Municipal Authority is hopeful it will be the key to economic development in the region.
"We're building it on the speculation and insistence that someone would come. We didn't want to be responsible for no businesses out there. We hope they do come," said Chairman Larry Czeponis.
Authority members were hesitant to follow through on any decision regarding the pump station, because they did not feel there were enough businesses committed to moving to the park. In April 2010, several businesses and representatives of SEEDCO showed up at a MCMA meeting to show their support. The authority approved the plans to move forward with the pump station and
awarded the contracts the following week.
Construction of the pump station, which would service any new businesses in the park by pushing more than a million gallons of sewage from the park to the main MCMA sewer plant, began in early March during a break between snow storms, said Czeponis.
"It's supposed to be done by May or June if the weather holds up," he said.
Grand Prix Excavation, of Tamaqua, is the general contractor for the project at a bid of $586,989. J.B. Electric Corporation, of Minersville, will provide electrical engineering at a bid of $89,869. Sikora Brothers Paving Inc., of Shickshinny, will provide construction services at a bid of $661,382.50.
The land being used was donated by SEEDCO.
The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PennVEST) granted a loan to the authority with an interest rate of one percent for 30 years.
Additionally, the Appalachian Regional Commission approved a $291,000 grant to build a 700-foot road, which will cut off Route 901 west of the former Boylan's Garage, into the township portion of the park, according to a media release from Steve Bartos.
Bartos, interim director of the Mount Carmel-based Keystone Energy Technology Enterprise Center (KETEC) - a business incubator - and private business consultant operating under the name of Green Reliance Associates Inc., has previously worked with the county and state in relation with SEEDCO. He has continued his partnership with the industrial park and businesses associated with it.
In order to be approved for the grant money, a $61,000 match was required, boosting the project cost up to $291,000.
The project, said Bartos, will develop and improve Appalachia's infrastructure to make the park and the region more economically competitive, provide local communities such as Mount Carmel Township with the resources needed to spur locally-driven economic development and assure that the region receives federal resources for development and improvement of an access road for economic and community activities.
The stakeholders involved included Mount Carmel Township Board of Supervisors, SEDA-Council of Governments, Provco Group, SEEDCO, Intelliwatt Renewable Energy LLC and Green Alliance.
The township will receive funding to maintain the road through liquid fuels program from the federal government, said Bartos.
In December 2010, it was announced that state funding would provide an expansion to the rail service near the park and would allow for future sidings to be provided to the park.
With these pieces falling into place, Bartos said he is optimistic about the economic future of the park.
Companies like Intelliwatt Renewable Energy LLC and Chesapeake Gardens have expressed their intent to locate inside the park, telling the authority members that the pump station would sweeten the deal. Currently, Reinhart Food Services remains the lone tenant in the Coal Township section of the park, which extends into Mount Carmel Township.
Intelliwatt, first announced as a possible job creator in October 2008, would establish a 13-megawatt bio-mass energy facility on 22 acres of land in the Mount Carmel Township portion of the park. It would have recycled wood pallets and clean woods chips brought in by rail to use as a fuel source to generate electricity.
Chesapeake Gardens, currently located in Selinsgrove, signed a letter of intent in June 2010 to relocate in the park. Once the contract was in place and permits were acquired, construction was expected to begin sometime in 2011.
Dr. Richard Caruso, chairman of the SEEDCO board of directors, did not return phone calls requesting updates. Neither did Chesapeake Gardens President Alan Magan or Intelliwatt President Mark Nastasi.
Rob Shirley, land use specialist for SEEDCO, and Mount Carmel Township Chairman Reynold Scicchitano directed questions to Bartos.
"Intelliwatt is going through what normal businesses are faced with," said Bartos. "The economy is still not that good and finding lending sources for the last couple million dollars has been a challenge."
"It puts in the game and in competition with other industrial parks around the state," said Bartos.
Chesapeake Gardens is having similar difficult as Intelliwatt, he said.
He is still optimistic about both companies being able to break ground before the year's end. He has several meetings next week regarding the companies and two additional ones interested in the park.
"We are working with private businesses and trying to move economic development projects forward with private money," said Bartos.