Duke Energy Program May Give West Harrison Industrial Site Its Big Break

By Mike Perleberg Image via Google Maps (West Harrison, Ind.) - Duke Energy Indiana is helping attract business to a West Harrison site marked for economic development. Duke Energy has selected a 55-acre site at 1228 Harrison-Brookville Road for its 2017 Site Readiness Program. The site located just east of the Interstate 74 exit was previously the planned home for a new industrial bakery for Skally’s Old World Bakery. The project would have brought 150 jobs to Dearborn County, but the company decided to back out in April. The Duke Energy program identifies, evaluates, and improves sites in the company’s service territory for potential industrial development. “Helping our communities attract large businesses to our service area brings increased jobs and economic prosperity for entire regions,” said Erin Schneider, director of economic development for Duke Energy Indiana. “It’s an important part of our mission and we look forward to working with our economic development partners to bring added value to these communities.” According to the utility company, Duke will hire consulting firm McCallum Sweeney Consulting to evaluate the site. Banning Engineering will produce conceptual drawings and site plans. Based on consultant recommendations, Duke Energy will collaborate with county leaders and local economic development professionals to develop an improved strategy for marketing these sites. The consultant may also recommend road improvements, easements and rights-of-way that will be required to develop the sites, as well as steps necessary to mitigate any potential environmental impacts. Duke Energy says it will present its findings for the site – including a detailed report and conceptual drawings – to county officials when the studies are completed. The company will also contribute $10,000 to a local economic development organization to help implement the consultant’s recommendations. And here is where the program could make the biggest difference for the West Harrison site that county economic development officials have long looked to fill. Once the findings are in, Duke Energy’s business development team will strategically market the West Harrison site nationwide to companies looking to expand or relocate their operations. Three other sites in Indiana were also selected for this year’s Duke Energy Indiana Site Readiness Program. They are in Bartholomew, Crawford and Hamilton counties. Duke Energy Indiana’s program – named by Site Selection magazine as one of the nation’s “Top 10 Utility Economic Development Programs” – has participated in the creation of nearly 20,000 jobs with a total capital investment of approximately $4.5 billion since 2008. RELATED STORIES: Bakery’s Plans To Build In W. Harrison Have Gotten Stale