Anderson receives $649,000 for Certified Technology Park

Ken de la Bastide, Herald Bulletin

The money was sitting there waiting to be collected, but the city of Anderson had to be aggressive in obtaining $649,000 from the state for the Certified Technology Park.

Economic Development Specialist Karen Pettigrew worked with several businesses at the Flagship Enterprise Center to collect the funds that will be used for infrastructure improvements.

The state allows the city to recapture income and sales taxes from businesses operating in the Certified Technology Park. Anderson’s was the second in the state.

The Technology Park is located on the north and south sides of Interstate 69 along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Pettigrew explained the base year was from July 2002 through June 2003 and any additional sales and income taxes collected in subsequent years is returned to the Anderson Redevelopment Commission.

“The forms are not required,” she said on Friday. “We worked to educate the business on the benefits of the program.

“I want to thank the businesses for their participation,” Pettigrew said. “They had to submit the information.”

The companies involved include: Central Indiana Orthopedics, Remy International, Carter Express and Duke’s Truck Service.

Pettigrew said for next year the companies that will provide additional dollars for infrastructure improvements include the Business Development Center and Skyline Chili.

Mayor Kevin Smith said the funds cannot be used for general operating expenses of the city.

“They have to be put back into the area to create new investment,” Smith said. “We already have a comprehensive plan for the area that includes roads and drainage.”

The funds will be used to make infrastructure improvements to the area including water and sewage and electrical power.

“Some of our competitors in Indiana have already put the infrastructure in their business park areas,” Smith said. “We want to be on equal footing with them and be competitive with other cities and towns.”

The funding is a direct benefit to the taxpayers and businesses, he said.

Rob Sparks, chairman of the Anderson Board of Public Works, said the funding gives the city some options in the area of the Technology Park.

“Some of it may go for improvements to a portion of 73rd Street,” he said. “There is a $9 million cap on the amount that will be returned to the city.”

Smith said the city is trying to encourage developers to construct buildings that would be available to companies looking to locate in Anderson.

“We need the space available for start-up companies,” he said.

Linda Dawson, assistant director of Economic Development, said the city gets a lot of inquiries for 30,000 to 100,000 square foot buildings.

“We have no more left in the area,” she said.

Smith said a lot of the groundwork for the Technology Park was done before he took office in 2004.

“The city, Anderson University and Chuck Staley all had a vision for what could come in the future,” he said.

@ 2005 The Herald Bulletin.