Starke County Economic Development Director, Charles Weaver, met with many executives of the plants that are located in the Knox Industrial Park yesterday. Weaver talks about that meeting.
“The industries and companies that are located along County Road 300 East in Knox met to hear a presentation about the planned improvement of County Road 300 East, or Klockner Drive, by the engineers that are preparing those plans,” said Weaver.
Weaver talked about their concerns.
“Most of their questions concerned whether or not there was going to be any interruption to their operations either by the actual construction or by stoppages of gas or electric during that period of time.”
Weaver said there will be some problems that have to be addressed.
“Because of the nature of some of the work that is going to be done, there are going to be some interferences with the industrial access. The contract, as far as the residents along those routes, require that the residents have 24-hour access to their homes. The difficulties we’re talking about are not regarding the people who live along 300 East, but rather the companies themselves. We’re going to have to make some allowances and create some definable detours for trucks and that sort of thing. Passenger cars can go places that a semi tractor rig shouldn’t go.”
A public hearing was held recently to inform the residents of the project plans.
Real estate acquisition activities will begin this spring and summer, bids will be let in December, construction will begin in the spring of 2013, and the project will be complete by the fall of 2013. The estimated cost of the construction will be $2.4 million.
The project will begin at County Road 300 East (Culver Road Intersection) and extend north of Pacific Avenue to the Railroad Crossing. There will also be incidental construction along Culver Road and Pacific Avenue.
