|
|
| Post Number: 1
|
spike 
Group: Members
Posts: 289
Joined: Jun. 2004
|
 |
Posted on: Nov. 16 2005,7:25 am |
|
   |
I've heard it a dozen times on this board, Albert Lea needs to market itself as a distribution hub for large companies, capitialize on the interstate location.
Maybe they can ask Mankato how they seem to do it. Wal-Mart is bringing 700 jobs and a $100 million hub to Mankato, this new facility will be one of the top 5 tax payers in the city when it's done and have more square footage then River Hills Mall. Not to mention all the spin off jobs it will create.
Sparky must not of been able to get this deal done either.
Better luck next time Pauly.
Free Press Wal-Mart story
|
 |
|
|
| Post Number: 2
|
hairhertz
Group: Members
Posts: 3489
Joined: Dec. 2004
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 16 2005,7:47 am |
|
 |
What interstate system is Mankato located on? [none] Surprised that the facility isn't locating in Owatonna. Maybe Mankato gave up a ton of incentives to get W-M there?
--------------
metis movement
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 3
|
spike
Group: Members
Posts: 289
Joined: Jun. 2004
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 16 2005,8:55 am |
|
|
| Quote (hairhertz @ Nov. 16 2005,7:47am) | | What interstate system is Mankato located on? [none] Surprised that the facility isn't locating in Owatonna. Maybe Mankato gave up a ton of incentives to get W-M there? |
1420 KTOE radio this morning said no JOBZ money & no TIF money was involved. The only thing the city is paying for is infrastructure improvements to the site which will be minimal considering the size of the project. The location is pretty well set up already for this type of development.
The only thing I can think of why AL would not be in the running for this is the labor pool (Mankato has a much larger labor pool to draw from then AL and Owatonna combined) or the city just plain didn't get it done. If I had to guess, I'd say probably both were factors. 
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 4
|
bnkrpt
Group: Members
Posts: 74
Joined: Nov. 2005
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 16 2005,9:42 am |
|
|
Imagine that 
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 5
|
Nose for News
Group: Members
Posts: 431
Joined: Feb. 2004
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 16 2005,9:52 am |
|
|
Wal-Mart center a Kato coup
Retailer to build grocery distribution center
By Tim Krohn
The Free Press
MANKATO —
One of the biggest development successes ever for Mankato brought smiles all around as Wal-Mart announced it will build an 880,000-square-foot food distribution center. It will create 500 to 700 new full-time jobs and spur an array of new support businesses and jobs.
It will be the first Wal-Mart distribution center in Minnesota.
When it is open, in 2008, a semi truck will be coming or leaving the distribution center every two minutes, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The center will support Wal-Mart grocery stores in the five-state area.
“We believe this is a watershed moment,” said Mankato City Manager Pat Hentges. “A project like this has much spin-off potential.”
The center will be built on a 150-acre parcel east of Midwest Wireless and north of Highway 14. Hentges said it will be among the top property taxpayers in Mankato, following NSP and River Hills Mall. The total project cost will be in the $60 million to $100 million range.
Colby Tanner, real estate manager for Wal-Mart, said the quality of the site, the cooperative effort of local and state governments and the labor pool here made the company choose Mankato over potential sites in four states.
“This particular site is better than I’ve seen in a while,” Tanner said. “We evaluate the labor pool wherever we look. This area scored extremely high.”
John Bisio, with Wal-Mart community affairs, said the center “represents good, clean industry.” Bisio said the new distribution center will create 500 new jobs with competitive wages, benefits and stability.
The annual payroll is expected to be about $21 million. He said the job numbers are likely to grow to more than 700 within three years. That would make it the fifth largest employer in the city.
While they did not reveal what starting wages are likely to be, an Internet search of job openings at similar distribution centers around the country show several offering $14 to $16 per hour.
Hentges said the project is especially good because the city did not have to provide incentives to attract Wal-Mart. The city and Blue Earth County will dedicate some of the property taxes collected from the project to pay for improvements to highways and to extend sewer, water and other infrastructure.
“This is the best company I’ve dealt with,” Hentges said. He said Wal-Mart simply said what things they needed in a site and never asked for any incentives or free land.
Wal-Mart is buying the land from James and Betty Sohler, Dorothy Sohler, and Sharon Karstens, in a deal brokered by Lidstrom Commercial Realtors.
About $5.3 million in site improvements will be done, including extending Technology Drive from the Eastwood Industrial Park and relocating a gas pipeline. Blue Earth County will widen County Road 3 to a four lane for about two-thirds of a mile, from Highway 22 to the site of the distribution center.
The state is providing more than $2 million in an infrastructure grant to cover some of the costs with the additional costs coming from property taxes paid by Wal-Mart and by any other developments that build in the immediate area.
While Wal-Mart will use 150 acres of land, the road and infrastructure improvements will open up nearly 600 additional acres in the vicinity for development.
Bisio said about half of the distribution center will contain refrigerated and frozen storage areas and about half dry-storage area. The center will be highly automated, including large elevators that lift pallets of food and stack them on shelves.
Dozens of civic and business leaders turned out at the Intergovernmental Center for the announcement Tuesday, including North Mankato officials. North Mankato also had vied for the Wal-Mart center but was eliminated as a possible site by the company.
Hentges commended North Mankato officials for continuing to champion the project for Mankato after they were out of the running. “This is a great project on either side of the river,” he said.
Mike Laven, Mankato City Council member and interim mayor, said the project is a major benefit in itself and in the spin-off business it will spur. “I’m excited about those support businesses that move in to support a distribution center of this size.”
Blue Earth County Administrator Dennis McCoy was short and direct on what he thought of the project: “Good, good stuff.”
He said the development will help the county improve roads more quickly, particularly County Road 3.
There is also a plan to eventually rebuild County Road 12, which goes past the airport. Rather than turn sharply west, south of the airport, the road would be brought straight south, with a new interchange at Highway 14, near the site of the new distribution center.
Now our young people will be able to move away closer.
--------------
DISCLAIMER
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nose for News Is Pleased To Announce That We Have Absolutely No Affiliation Whatsoever With The Albert Lea Tribune Or Its Parent, Boone Publishing.
Like Other Minnesota/Iowa Residents, We Simply Endure Them.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 6
|
nphilbro
Group: Members
Posts: 1586
Joined: Jul. 2005
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 16 2005,10:17 am |
|
|
Fail to plan-Plan to fail. What's Albert Lea's plan? Who do you hold accountable?
--------------
Merely to try is to prepare for failure.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 7
|
The Coach
Group: Members
Posts: 169
Joined: Feb. 2005
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 16 2005,10:19 am |
|
|
Any reason to post the whole article when Spike had already posted the link when he started this topic? I'd already read it. But thanks for adding your comment. At least that was new. 
--------------
I'm The Coach, but don't call me.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 8
|
ICU812
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 3244
Joined: Aug. 2003
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 16 2005,10:30 am |
|
|
| Quote (nphilbro @ Nov. 16 2005,10:17am) | | What's Albert Lea's plan? Who do you hold accountable? |
Accountable, are you kiddin'? The ol' Sparksinator set it up so he would not be accountable.
Quote from Liberal, long ago and far away.
| Quote | It seems to me that the city council set out this year to get rid of Sparks and take a stronger role in the economic development of Albert Lea and instead of that happening Sparks is now getting rid of the city councils oversight and taking complete control of economic development in Albert Lea and I think the council has yet to figure it out
Do you realize that since this new group the ALEDC can do everything in private we may never even know how much Sparks and Bishop will be getting paid to run this town into the ground?
http://forum.albertlea.com/cgi-bin....1;st=10 |
As far as the city's plan I think they take direction from the Minnesota education system-throw lots of money at the problem, that will fix it.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 9
|
ed81
Group: Members
Posts: 81
Joined: Jun. 2005
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 16 2005,11:30 am |
|
|
| Quote (nphilbro @ Nov. 16 2005,10:17am) | | Fail to plan-Plan to fail. What's Albert Lea's plan? Who do you hold accountable? |
Fail to plan? What did anyone do wrong here? If you read the paper it looks like Mankato was a better fit. How is it helpfull always blame someone? Odd that they chose to go to a city with a local option sales tax 
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 10
|
Two Bears
Group: Members
Posts: 527
Joined: May 2005
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 16 2005,11:48 am |
|
|
Maybe we should rent another billboard to show our appreciation to Paul Sparks for the good job he is doing
--------------
VOTE - ADAM AND EVE NOT ADAM AND STEVE
HAVING A LIBERAL ALONG IS LIKE LOSING TWO GOOD MEN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
