The City of Rushville and Economic Development Corporation Cut the Ribbon to Officially Open the Commerce Park at Rushville
What began in the early 1990’s as a dream of an industrial park, has come to fruition in 2015 when representatives of the City of Rushville, the Rushville Redevelopment Commission, and the Rush County ECDC held a ribbon cutting ceremony to signifying the completion of the infrastructure development throughout the 80-acre parcel. This included road construction, installing curbs and gutters for those internal roads, sanitary sewer, a lift station, water mains, storm water facilities, soil erosion control measures, a fiber network, lighting and other related appurtenances. The project also called for widening State Road 3.
The property, now known as The Commerce Park at Rushville, was designated “Shovel Ready” in February, 2007. The City purchased the land that same year. In August, 2012, the U. S. Economic Development Administration awarded $1.66 million to the City of Rushville for the development of the Park. The City matched those funds with $1.66 million of local dollars, and let bids in 2013. Construction was started by King Trucking & Excavation, Inc. after the official groundbreaking in March, 2014.
At the ceremony, ECDC Executive Director John McCane commented that the development of the industrial park has been achieved through from the labor of five mayors, six economic development directors, dozens of city councilmen, and countless community leaders. “This project is the culmination of dedicated efforts from countless public servants, volunteers, various levels of government participation, and even the input from local citizens,” said McCane.
McCane, went on to say that the park is not only shovel ready, but it is now “pad-ready”. Because the infrastructure and zoning is in place, city and economic development officials contend that this will serve as an enticement to interested parties looking to expand a business in Rushville.
Cathy Wenning, Chair of the Rush County ECDC, thanked those in the audience for braving the cold and rain to come help celebrate the completion of the park. She reiterated that this property opens the door for many new economic development opportunities for Rushville and Rush County.
Mayor Mike Pavey said “I just want to thank everybody who participated in this, whether it was the boards that supported this, the people who actually got the construction done, or whether it was Ann (Copley – City Clerk Treasurer) who paid the bills, I want to thank everyone for their efforts. I think this shows that we are a truly progressive community, and that we do make significant financial investments in the economic development of this community.”