This week saw a milestone in development at the WestGate@Crane Technology Park. The necessary approvals were given that allow construction of a 1,200-foot road within the 50-acre parcel that sits immediately north of the Greene County line (County Road 800 South) and east of Scotland Road (CR 200 East) in Taylor Township.

This may not sound like much but it takes countless hours of coordinated and concentrated effort by various county and regional entities. In a nutshell, the Greene County Redevelopment Commission approved the funding for the installation of the utilities, such as water and sewer lines, and three-phase electrical. Consequently, the WestGate Authority approved the funding for the actual construction of the road.

Sounds pretty simple, huh? Well the reality is that, to get us to this point, various economic development tools had to be established and a great deal of cooperation was required. Without boring you with all the intricate details and the naming of all the partners and stakeholders involved, here's a brief outline of the process.

Fortunately, Indiana is a business-friendly state and has enacted legislation to support E.D. tools, such as Tax Increment Financing (TIF), plus various business incentives that are administered through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). For those who read most of my articles, I wrote a briefing on TIF in the Aug. 8 edition that you can access through www.gcdailyworld.com archives.

The actual implementation of the TIF mechanism occurs only when instigated by the local government. Initially, the Greene County Council and Commissioners approved the creation of, and boundaries for, a TIF district and then designated the potential future tax revenues to development of infrastructure that will benefit that TIF district. The tax funds generated within the TIF district are administered by a quasi-governmental unit, the Redevelopment Commission, members of which are appointed by the county commissioners.

The Redevelopment Commission submits to the county commissioners its recommendation for candidates to hold positions on the WestGate Authority (WGA), which functions much like a tri-county (Greene, Daviess and Martin) redevelopment commission.

The WGA is the key entity that oversees development of the tech park. It interfaces with state and federal governmental agencies, consults with the local economic development organizations (LEDOs), and contracts with service providers such as marketing consultants, civil engineers, utility providers, etc.

An earlier milestone for the WGA was entering into an agreement with highly qualified developers Dale Ankrom, Max Kendall and J.R. Kendall, who have subsequently formed WestGate Development Corporation, LLC (WCDC). Since this agreement was forged, the tech park has experienced significant development and successful placement of technology-focused businesses. Already, WestGate@Crane Technology Park has become home to companies like SAIC, URS (EG&G), ITT, CACI and others, who have recognized the advantages of being in close proximity to the $2 billion Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) and the 100 square mile Naval Support Activity (NSA) near Crane.

Companies like these are not attracted to "green fields," in other words, undeveloped property. So, WGA has created a strategic plan and systematically has been developing the necessary roads, utilities and other supportive infrastructure, according to the park concept plan provided by the prime developers, WCDC. At the same time WCDC has been designing and constructing build-to-suit and multi-use buildings.

However, progress is limited to the availability of funds. Consequently, it took creative thinking, financing and the collaboration of Greene County and the WGA before development of the soon-to-be 1,200-foot road could begin. An absolute must for this type of development to occur is governmental (and quasi-governmental) leadership that is visionary, progressive and innovative, which, fortunately, we have here in Greene County and in the region.

The bottom line is that, once the road is completed, in addition to the existing 700 feet (approx) of road frontage, we will have another 2,400 linear feet of frontage plus fully-developed, shovel-ready sites with which to attract companies. More companies, more jobs. I love it!

Joan is the executive director at Greene County Economic Development Corporation and can be reached at (812) 847-4500 or jbethell@gcedc.us .