ANGOLA — A $13.8 million economic development project proposed by Trine University is as the point of “no further delay,” according to the university’s president, Earl Brooks II.
Steuben County Commissioners will meet Monday to discuss the proposal that calls for Trine and Steuben County each to spend $6.9 million on the three-part project.
“It’s our hope at this point that the county is going to come to a decision, one way or the other,” Brooks said Friday. “We have to make a decision on the 21st, or if one is not made, it is made.”
In the event that Steuben County does not partner with Trine on the project, the university is looking at potential partnerships elsewhere.
“We’ve already pursued other options. As a matter of fact, today (March 11) we had very serious dialogue with LaGrange County and the City of Sturgis and St. Joseph County, Mich. … that are at this point extremely interested in moving forward with this, realizing that there is the potential that our county may elect to not move forward with economic development and jobs,” Brooks said.
“They’re interested to the point where they have copies now of the definitive agreement, and those documents are being reviewed by their legal counsel,” said Trine University senior vice president Michael Bock.
The project’s three components are the Rhoads Center for Entrepreneurship, Bock Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology Commercialization Lab.
The university has received several letters of intent from companies that would locate in Steuben County as a result of the project, Bock added.
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult as we’ve gotten these letters of intent. These folks are ready to launch, and it’s been difficult for us to continue to tell them what the future might hold if they would just hang tight and wait until such time as we have a partnership formed. They’re ready to create jobs. They are ready to launch their businesses, and the continued delays here are causing some difficulty as we work with these folks,” Bock said.
“By agreement, each group that we work with will be asked to sign a contract that it would essentially say: In exchange for these resources, we will in fact create jobs in Steuben County,” Bock explained.
“At some point would they employ 50 or a hundred people? Yes, they would, but initially they’re start-up companies, and that’s all part of the plan. That’s by design,” Bock added.
Bock said a software company has committed to bring 30 jobs to Steuben County if the project proceeds. Another company, an RV manufacturer, has committed to bring the manufacturing component of the business to Steuben County.
“We’ve met with another group — another software company — who is talking about 300 jobs yet this year. So, again, these folks are coming to us eager to get started, and unfortunately we’ve not been able to respond other than to say we’re going to do this.”
The project also would result in eight to 10 additional professional positions at Trine, Bock said.
A $7.5 million biomechanical center originally proposed by Trine likely will be located in Fort Wayne in a partnership between the university and Parkview Health. That is not expected to reduce the number of companies that would come to Steuben County as a result of the potential partnership between Trine and Steuben County government, Brooks said.
One of the documents to be reviewed Monday is a 78-page contract between the university and Steuben County that lays out specific terms of the partnership.
Bock clarified a section in the agreement that deals with a lease of the project’s buildings on the Trine campus.
“The agreement is structured in such a way that the county would actually invest funds in university buildings. Then the university would lease those buildings back from the county … the county is not paying us rent. The county is not going to maintain our buildings. The county is not going to be responsible for taxes and insurance. We are,” Bock said.
Bock noted that a committee of local government officials has endorsed the plan, which will be presented to the county commissioners Monday by a committee member, Angola City Councilman Dave Martin.
“Again, this is our home county. It would be our first desire to help our hometown population, but I guess there has to be that interest and willingness and their support to want that,” Brooks said.
“While we’re uncertain as to whether or not our county has interest, it has not delayed our plan to move forward,” Brooks added, “and if our county does not have interest, then we’ll engage with another partner.”