Duke awards Greencastle with $30K grant
PLAINFIELD -- Duke Energy is awarding $30,000 to the Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center to help document two industrial sites to attract new businesses and jobs.
One prospective site is located near Cloverdale, and the other is in Greencastle. The $30,000, along with local matching funds provided by the property owners, will help underwrite a boundary and topographic survey, an environmental study, a wetlands delineation study, a study for threatened and endangered species, an archaeological and historical survey, and a geotechnical analysis for each site.
The work could reduce the development time for the sites by 60 to 120 days. The proposed work will follow the guidelines developed for the Shovel-Ready Site program by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
"Duke Energy is committed to helping communities in our service area do all they can to prepare for this kind of economic growth," said Steve Bahr, Duke Energy Indiana area manager for Putnam County. "This grant will assist the Putnam County community as it seeks to revitalize the local economy."
"Our statewide experience is that communities need to have an inventory of sites with the due diligence complete and ready for review by a site selection consultant or client," said Mike Heaton, Duke Energy Indiana's manager for regional economic development. "The site selection process continues to be compressed as companies have delayed investment decisions due to the recession. Cloverdale and Greencastle have a number of advantages to attract investment and jobs to west central Indiana."
"The Development Cnter is excited about the opportunities we see to improve and grow our local economy," said Bill Dory, executive director for the Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center. "We appreciate the fact that Duke Energy shares our enthusiasm for the potential these two sites hold for making a positive impact on our community."
The grant is from Duke Energy's Community Growth Partnership Grant Program and is aimed at generating new jobs and capital investment in Indiana. Over the past three years, Duke Energy has awarded 15 of these grants totaling more than $198,000 to Indiana economic development organizations.
Historically, Duke Energy has made a strong commitment to economic development throughout its service territory. As a result of its leadership role in this arena, Duke Energy has been the recipient of Site Selection Magazine's Top Ten Utility Economic Development Award for 11 consecutive years.
Duke Energy Indiana's operations provide 6,500 megawatts of electricity capacity to approximately 780,000 customers, making it the state's largest electric supplier.
Duke Energy is the third largest electric power holding company in the United States, based on kilowatt-hour sales. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 4 million customers located in five states -- North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky --representing a population of approximately 11 million people.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.
The Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center Inc., is a countywide not-for-profit local economic development organization. The organization is governed by a board of community leaders and elected officials. Funding is provided by the City of Greencastle, Putnam County, and the private sector.