-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Framed by the new street signs for First Avenue South and South 42nd Street, a group braves frigid single digit temperatures Thursday morning to cut the ribbon for the new Decker Development Park on the east side of Fort Dodge.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Framed by the new street signs for First Avenue South and South 42nd Street, a group braves frigid single digit temperatures Thursday morning to cut the ribbon for the new Decker Development Park on the east side of Fort Dodge.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Former Fort Dodge Mayor Terry Lutz, left, walks along a section of the newly opened First Avenue South with Decker Truck Line, Inc. Chairman of the Board Don Decker Thursday morning after the ribbon cutting for the new Decker Development Park on the east side of Fort Dodge. Decker was looking for the spot along the curb where two of his grandchildren had gotten to leave their hand and foot prints in the freshly poured concrete.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Decker Truck Lines, Inc. Chairman of the Board Don Decker, center, cuts the ribbon Thursday morning for the Decker Development Park on the east side of Fort Dodge. The site has over 100 acres of land available for commercial development.

He was looking for something buried under the snow along the curb that will be there for a long time.

“While they were pouring the concrete,” Decker said, “I took the two grandkids out there and let them put their hand and foot prints in there.”

Donnie Decker, 2, and Drew Decker, 6 months, were both happy to leave their mark.

“They loved it,” Decker said.

The Decker Development Park, also known as the Crosstown Connector Industrial Park, has more than 100 acres of land that can be developed for commercial use. An extension of First Avenue South east from Fort Frenzy and a section of South 42nd Street from Fifth Avenue South will serve not only the businesses that locate in the park, but also allow motorists entering Fort Dodge from the east a more direct route to the city’s east side business district. The road is considered a part of the crosstown connector project.

Decker credits the success of the project to a cooperative effort. He said support from Gov. Terry Branstad, the Iowa Department of Transportation and Fort Dodge City Council were all critical to making the project a success.

“It took a team,” he said. “It took a village to put this together.”

The first parcel of land to be developed will be home to a MidAmerican Energy Regional Service Center.

“They signed this week,” Decker said.

There’s plenty of room for more.

“There’s another 130 acres they can build on,” he said.

Fort Dodge Mayor Matt Bemrich said there was plenty of support for the project.

“This project sold itself,” Bemrich said. “We need this kind of economic development opportunity.”

He said that the Decker Development Park is ideally suited for businesses that may not require the amount of land and utilities available at the Iowa Crossroads of Global Innovation west of Fort Dodge. He expects that businesses that locate in Decker’s might be industries that help supply existing plants and new ones such as the Prestage Farms pork processing plant to be located near Eagle Grove.

“There’s not a lot like this available,” he said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for ancillary businesses.”

Land for the park was purchased from Decker Truck Line Inc., an opportunity Bemrich is grateful for.

“Thank you to the Decker family for leaving a project like this as a legacy,” he said.

Dennis Plautz, chief executive officer of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance, said he doesn’t expect the facility to only have one development on it for long.

“We see people constantly that are looking for land,” Plautz said.

Decker is also optimistic that the park will meet the needs of future business development.

“I know it’s a cliche,” he said. “If we build it, they will come. We built it, let them come.”

Plans for the new industrial park were announced in January 2014. At that time, city officials estimated that the property could be the site of 800 jobs and $63 million in new tax revenue.

The property is owned by Decker Investments Inc., of Fort Dodge.

In May 2014, the city received a $1,450,268 state grant to help pay for extending roads into the site.

Another $1.4 million for the project came from the $9 million the city received for assuming responsibility for the former Iowa Highway 926, which included parts of Kenyon Road, South Eighth Street and Second Avenue South.