By MARY ANN LEWIS, Commercial Review

Officials in Jay County are working with two companies which are looking to establish an ethanol refinery locally.

Jay County Commissioners’ president Milo Miller Jr. said this morning that local officials have been working with The Andersons Inc., which has a grain terminal outside Dunkirk.

Bob Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corp., added he was working with The Andersons as well as Cardinal Ethanol representatives to attract a plant in Jay County.

Officials in Randolph County voted Monday to grant a large incentive package to Cardinal Ethanol — including a $10 million unsecured loan.

“My office is still working with Cardinal,” Quadrozzi said today. “We’re still dealing with two projects.”

However, local officials have not come up with an incentive package to offer officials for either construction project, Quadrozzi said.

“I have not met with elected officials,” Quadrozzi said about meeting with commissioners and having an incentive package to offer a prospective builder. Quadrozzi said it was unlikely a package matching Randolph County’s would be offered by Jay County.

“It’s not a done deal,” Miller said about The Anderson’s project, adding “but it’s not a secret.”

“They (The Andersons) haven’t asked for that (kind of incentive package),” Miller said about incentives that Randolph County officials offered Cardinal Ethanol on Monday.

Randolph County’s three county commissioners and six council members voted Monday to grant the package, which includes an unsecured $10 million loan, $250,000 in cash and property tax incentives.

“The biggest concern is the water table,” Miller said about The Andersons' proposed project.

Additionally, Miller said The Andersons officials have sought to have county road 450 South closed if the construction moves forward. That road runs just north of The Andersons location near county roads 500 South and 1100 West.

Miller also noted that concerns about odors in the area were addressed and that prevailing winds would send those odors away from the residential areas of Dunkirk.

He noted that concerning incentives, The Andersons have indicated it would ask only for what the county could provide from state grants and tax abatements.

Quadrozzi explained the Cardinal plant would be a 100-million gallon production facility that would provide 16 to 18 jobs.

He said he would continue to work with the two companies until “that first shovel of dirt is turned.”

Delaware and Wayne counties in Indiana and Darke County in Ohio are also in the running for the Cardinal plant, which would employ 45 people. The proposed plant would produce about 100 million gallons of ethanol a year and buy about 36 milion bushels of corn annually.
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