By BILL SHEA
Messenger staff writer
The combination of available land and key investments is about to pay off in the form of high-quality growth in the Fort Dodge area, according to Iowa's top economic development official.
''You guys are just doing everything right,'' Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, said Wednesday during a meeting with the editorial board of The Messenger.
''You've got the ingredients for success,'' she added. ''You are very poised for really quality growth, there is no doubt about it.''
Durham said the North Central Ag Industrial Park west of the city could be the site of more than $1 billion worth of investment in the near future. It is already home to the Valero Renewables ethanol plant and the former Tate & Lyle facility being renovated by Cargill, its new owner. And it will be the site of the $323 million amino acid plant planned by CJ CheilJedang Corp., doing business as CJ America. The Cargill and CJ CheilJedang plants are expected to open in the fall of 2013.
Durham came to Fort Dodge a day before heading to Washington, D.C., where, among other things, she planned to lobby for a $7 million federal grant that would help pay for placing more railroad tracks in the Ag Industrial Park.
While infrastructure like rail lines is important for growth, Durham said quality-of-life projects are just as essential. She said Fort Dodge has made great strides in quality-of-life projects. She specifically cited the improvements at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex. The city has also built an aquatic center and is expanding its trail network.
''Those things are so important,'' she said. ''Sometimes we often forget that.''
''It is about building communities people want to live in,'' Durham said.
In addition to offering her thoughts on the local growth prospects, Durham gave an overview of the state government's revamped economic programs.
Her agency was created last year by Gov. Terry Branstad and the Legislature to replace the Iowa Department of Economic Development.
She said the state now has the Iowa Partnership for Economic Progress board, which consists of executives who provide ''high-level market intel.''
The Iowa Economic Development Authority awards state incentives for companies that are expanding or moving to the state. Durham said the current array of cash incentives is being abolished. They will be replaced with a new $25 million annual fund.
Tax credits for film makers will be abolished, she said. However, Durham hopes to continue marketing the state to film makers.
According to Durham, the various economic development programs will provide Iowans with jobs and vibrant places to live.
''I think it means we are creating a culture that is fostering growth,'' she said. ''That means jobs for the people and it means healthy communities.''
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net