In the first of what Osceola City Administrator/Clerk Ty Wheeler described as “exciting developments,” Osceola City Council unanimously approved an agreement with Alliant Energy for a gas facilities extension to the industrial park west of Interstate 35.
“This has been a project that has been worked on for a long, long time,” Wheeler said.
The agreement calls for an up front payment from the city of Osceola to Alliant Energy in the sum of $617,997 prior to construction. According to the agreement, Alliant Energy is responsible for the construction, installation, maintenance and operation of the facilities.
For the first 10 years following the acceptance of the agreement, Alliant will refund a portion of the revenue generated from new customers in the industrial park back to the city.
Another key player in the agreement is Clarke County Development Corporation (CCDC).
“We have worked with Clarke County Development Corporation in this effort and really, quite honestly, I think Bill (Trickey) has led the way,” Wheeler said.
According to Wheeler, CCDC has approved a grant back to the city in the amount of $695,000, which includes the up front cost and some interest.
“So the intent is once we have this approved, we can issue a small note, a bond locally, and annually the debt service on that bond would be paid for through a grant from the Development Corporation using the funds they have already approved,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler also reported to the council that if the costs of the project end up being more than what has already been approved by CCDC, Trickey has encouraged the city to request additional funds to pay for the project.
“This is a major accomplishment,” Wheeler said. “We’ve been working on this for a long time. It’s been perceived as a development barrier out there. With some of the other expansion that’s going on and the development pressure we’ve seen, inquiries and such, and the new projects in the last year with the warehouse and the truck wash, this is going to se thte community up for a lot of development opportunities in the future, ceratinly in the next 10-15 years.”
Mason Adams, representative from Alliant Energy, told the council this agreement wouldn’t have been a possibility without the collaboration between CCDC, the city of Osceola and Alliant Energy.
“It speaks to the shared vision that all of us have, including Alliant Energy, for the future of Osceola and Clarke County as a whole,” Adams said. “We definitely look forward to what this means for economic growth and prosperity and we’re very excited about what’s going to happen next. We’re ready to get our shovels in the dirt and start getting some pipe in the ground.”