Carbon Motors’ promise of more than 1,500 new jobs and a lift for many other businesses seems to be gone. Some local residents say it’s an unfortunate situation.
Carbon Motors moved its equipment out of the former Visteon property. Its lease on the property ended Sunday.
The company chose to locate its headquarters and production facility here to much fanfare in July 2009. Several thousand happy local residents attended the announcement of the decision, along with Gov. Mitch Daniels. That followed a stop here in May 2009 when nearly 10,000 people lined up outside the Visteon building to walk past a prototype of the law enforcement car Carbon said it would build.
To fund the car’s further development, Carbon Motors sought a $310 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy. The agency denied that loan in March 2012, leaving the company searching for private investment. “I just can’t believe it didn’t happen,” said David Wicker at the Roberts Park playground Saturday.
On Friday, he had talked with a friend about the end of the project. The friend said the city had sunk a lot money into the building and now it’s uncertain what will happen with it.
The town looked with hope towards the company as people needed the jobs that Carbon promised, he said.
“We hear the government is spending money in other places, but why not spend it on jobs?” Wicker asked. “I have several friends who need jobs. It’s sad because even if another company decides to locate there, it will be close to a year before they start working.”
“It’s unfortunate,” said David Frye, also at Roberts Park. “People had such hopes for jobs. It would have been so good for the city.”
Improvements have been made to the building. Some company will surely want to come, he said. It would be so nice to see it happen because there is such a need for jobs.
Debbie Seargent said it seemed too good to be true from the start.
“I didn’t believe it in the beginning,” she said. “It’s a shame to get everyone’s hopes up, drag out and then all of sudden they’re gone. We certainly could have used something like that here in town because the town is going down and the economy stinks. I was disappointed.”
She said the longer the process dragged out without cars being built, the more it seemed it would never happen and the company offered too many excuses.
“I wish they would have come because it would have helped the city,” said Anthony Taylor at Roberts Park. “I hope they can bring another company.”
“I said when they first came here ‘There will never be a car come out that door,’” said Bob Koohns while eating breakfast at Maggie’s restaurant. “I just didn’t think it would go. I had already heard that they had already been in business twice and took two other towns.”
Connersville will be the one taking the loss this time, he said. It would be good to find someone to come in and bring jobs. While there has been some business on the north side, the rest of the town needs businesses in the old Kmart building and other places.
“Maybe we ought to give someone a better deal. You don’t catch mice without putting some cheese on the trap,” Koohns said.
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