WestGate @ Crane Technology Park reviews progress, Authority members set goals and objectives for future growth

Authority conducts special strategic planning session to address critical issues

In its first 60 months of existence as a unified three-county enterprise, the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park has grown from a 40,000 sq. ft. initial facility to more than a quarter of a million of square feet in new construction. Comprising about 100 acres at present, the WestGate has worked diligently to fulfill the expectations of a state-Certified Technology Park (CTP). More than 275 new high-technology positions have been created in the WestGate in the past few years, including positions filled by residents from Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, Vigo and other counties. Total direct employment in the park now is about 600 employees and payroll for about 1,500 technology-related positions in the NSWC Crane region originates from the WestGate. The park has attracted more than $20 million in new investments from government and private commercial organizations.

New Interstate to link WestGate

Now home to more than 12 commercial defense-related companies, the WestGate expects to enter a new phase of growth when the all-new I-69 interstate opens in 2012. This new interstate freeway will have an on-ramp interchange near the northeast section of the WestGate (in Greene County). This interchange is expected to increase opportunities for transportation and logistics companies doing business with the U.S. military as well as create greater overall ease of access to the park.

$8 million WestGate Academy will provide training and incubator services

Further opportunities are expected to be created with the construction of the $8 million 60,000 sq. ft. WestGate Academy, a multi-use facility that offers training, incubator, and conference center services. Ground-breaking for this new facility will take place in mid-summer, with $6.6 million in funding to come from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). Runnebohm Construction (Shelbyville, Indiana) was selected by the Authority from a formal statewide RFQ process to serve as the Construction Quality Management Agent for the new facility.

To seize these new opportunities and plan for future growth, the WestGate @ Crane Authority, made up of three appointed members each from the three counties, convened a special strategic planning session in French Lick in late March. The Authority previously convened a similar planning session about a year ago in April 2010, and this 2011 meeting both measured annual progress and set goals for future growth.

New Master Plan includes wastewater and other new infrastructure

Rapid growth of the park over the past few years has resulted in the need for additional infrastructure and master planning. During the recent planning session, the WestGate Authority outlined a shared vision for the continued build-out of the park.

To serve the initial needs of the new WestGate Academy and future facility growth needs of the park, elected officials in Greene County contracted with Small & Wilson in Bloomfield, Indiana to construct the first phase of an expandable wastewater treatment plant. This new wastewater facility is expected to serve the needs of the WestGate tech park and of anticipated growth associated with the I-69/US-231 freeway exchange near the park. In addition, plans are being prepared for the construction of a new $1.4 million 250,000-gallon water tank to be located on the northeast side of the WestGate.

The upgraded Master Plan will facilitate a greater level of support for landowners and developers. A secondary component of the overall plan is the structuring of the WestGate Academy Master Plan to address sustainability issues for each of the facility's focus areas: training, conference center and incubator/accelerator.

The March planning session of the Authority reviewed other concerns, including the enforcement of park standards; expanding and diversifying the target markets for the park; and identifying and securing desirable amenities for the park (daycare services, fitness facility, medical facilities, dental services, a pharmacy, convenience stores and additional financial services/banks).

Radius Indiana to provide economic development and support services

The WestGate Authority plans to cooperate with and engage Radius Indiana, a new eight-county regional partnership that includes the WestGate and the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) at Crane, Indiana. Discussions about the scope of that engagement continue to progress.

Speculative building space and amenities addressed

Authority members discussed the perennial challenge of available spec space, a growth issue that has been present since the inception of the WestGate. Previous private development in the park has largely deployed a tenant financing model, where new buildings are constructed once tenant leases have been secured for a future facility.

The Authority seeks to aggressively expand development opportunities—including seeking new developers and development companies—to advance the master plan of the park, create adequate speculative facility space, and allow for more flexibility in creating growth opportunities for current and future tenants of the WestGate.

Professional services

The Authority reviewed how the recommendations from the 2010 planning session were accomplished, including the desire to seek a greater range of qualified professional services. Contracts are now in place for legal, accounting, engineering and insurance services. Security and public safety issues have also been addressed through a collaborative 911 system of partners for the three-county area (Daviess, Greene and Martin) included in the WestGate.

About the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park
Qualified as a state Certified Technology Park (CTP) by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park represents a natural marketplace for defense contractors currently providing technical support, and research and development services to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division in southern Indiana. Operations of the $2 billion URS corporation, and SAIC, the nation's 7th largest defense contractor, in addition to ITT, CACI, CSC, CLEC, MLE, Raydar & Associates, Novonics, NAVMAR, Stimulus Engineering and Technical Services Corporation (TSC), already maintain operations in the park. For more information, please visit www.westgatecrane.com.

For more information, please contact:

Ron Arnold
Daviess County Economic Development Corporation
812-254-1500

Joan Bethell
Greene County Economic Development Corporation
(812) 847-4500

Tim Kinder
Martin County Alliance for Economic Growth, Inc.
(812) 295-4800

Shane Blair
Radius Indiana Regional Partnership
(812) 854-8249