Residents show their enthusiasm for Honda by forming its logo May 31. Photo courtesy of Artistic Photography (Greensburg)
Residents show their enthusiasm for Honda by forming its logo May 31. Photo courtesy of Artistic Photography (Greensburg)
By Kelsey VanArsdall, The Republic Reporter

GREENSBURG — City, county and state officials spent months showing Honda that Indiana, specifically Greensburg, harbors an ideal spot for another plant on American soil.

State and local governments offered the international automotive manufacturer more than $85 million in incentive and infrastructural investments for their current plant project and about $55 million in future regional growth.

“Anytime you have a project of this scope, it’s going to take significant infrastructure,” said Rick Hall, a partner at Barnes and Thornburg who oversaw negotiations for infrastructure incentives.

“The city, county and state came together to finance the needed infrastructure without burdening taxpayers or utility rate payers, which was very important to local officials and Honda.”

Hall said Decatur County found a way to provide the infrastructure, including roadways, sewer and water needs for Honda’s impending project and area growth that may stem from the business.

“This will position (Honda) and the city and county well for the future,” said Hall.

An upgrade to the Greensburg interchange on Interstate 74 and improvements on county and state roads are possibilities, but Hall could not go into detail. Jerome Buening, president of Decatur County Commissioners, said officials started long ago organizing efforts to attract an interested, then unnamed, business to the area.

“We are trying to become more organized to put businesses in strategic locations and identify areas that are ripe for growth,” said Buening.

“Before we even knew of an unnamed company (wanting to come to Indiana), we had identified some parcels of ground to send to the state as an application for certification as a shovel-ready site.

“We reached an agreement with city of Greensburg to extend the wastewater treatment to that site.”

Gov. Mitch Daniels said community members played a large role in attracting Honda.

Wearing red shirts, more than 300 residents lined the courthouse lawn May 31 to make a human Honda logo. Residents also wrote letters to the company urging them to pick Greensburg.

“As news got out spontaneously the people of Greensburg really won the day by being themselves,” he said, in a press conference Wednesday.

“The people are ready to make a successful home for businesses like this.”

Daniels said Greensburg provides an environment for a high quality of life for future Honda employees.

Daniels also said the state and local incentives ranked fairly modest compared to the size of the investment.

“For Honda, the matter of incentives was not a main focus of the project,” he said.

“Honda was more concerned with location, transportation, work force and community support, only after all that was there a discussion of state incentive programs.”
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