Alice Pickering
Wyoming Area ReporterWyoming City Council passed a resolution 5-0 Monday approving the purchase and development agreement between the city and Polaris Industries, Inc. for the wastewater treatment site. This sets the stage for Polaris to begin construction of its research and development facility east of the city.
Council members also unanimously approved by resolution, an ordinance re-zoning the wastewater treatment site to research and development, planned unit development area. This vote was necessary to allow the type of business Polaris is proposing.
Both groups, along with financial and legal advisors, have been working long and hard on getting the agreements to this stage. Polaris first approached city officials last summer about the possibility of purchasing the land.
Because of Wyomingís plans to connect with the regional wastewater treatment system, the land is no longer needed.
In August the city voted to annex the site. Sale of the land to Polaris will help pay for connection to the regional system and bring business to the area.
Groundbreaking is scheduled for Thursday, June 17.
Before either of the votes was taken, public hearings about the development and subsidies were held.
Steve Cahoon, PolarisÇ Director of Analysis and Tests, said the company has been focusing on a new engineering facility for 2.5 years. The company was founded 50 years ago in Roseau, as a family company, building snowmobiles. It purchased by a management team in 1981, but remains a regional company.
It has diversified, adding manufacture of ATVs in 1985, personal watercraft in 1992, and most recently, partnered with Victory in 1998 to produce motorcycles.
Company goals are to double in size during the next five years, grow profitably by lowering costs yet producing high quality products, and become a dominant brand.
The facility will attract new people to a rural area that is still close to the cities. It will improve laboratory facilities and allow the company to expand and compete globally. It will be functional and practical complimenting the facility in Roseau. Plans include future expansion, to last 25 years. If construction moves forward as anticipated, the company plans to move in by March 2005.
Though initially employing 200 people, up to 290 staff can be accommodated with the building addition. Over 10 years 40 new jobs will be added.
John Callahan, PolarisÇ chief technical officer, and Bob Kollross, manager of engineering facilities, presented the diagrams and sketches of the building and test areas. The building will have 126,000 square feet, with the long axis of the building running north-south. Offices and team spaces will be on the east side, with shops, vehicle assembly, and storage behind them. The labs and indoor test spaces are planned for the north end of the building. Expansion space is planned for the south end of the building and possibly west.
Shelter belts of taller trees are planned for the northern border and on a north-south axis along the eastern margin of the site.
Some questions focused on sound and a request for the print information for other nearby homeowners. A single-shift operation is planned. The maximum decibel level will be about 62dB for equipment. Extra space as sound buffer has been planned for the area.
City attorney Tom Miller summarized the negotiations and action between Polaris and the city that has taken place to date.
Polaris is purchasing land only from the city. Sale of the 611 acres will generate $6.972 million, designated to pay for Wyomingís share to connect to the regional system. Money from sale of only the north part of the land, $2.9 million will be the first payment for the wastewater charges.
When the southern part of the land is vacated, treatment system decommissioned, and sludge removed, the second part of the payment will be made to the city. Subsidies, grants, in the amount of $1.46 million will help pay for water and sewer lines to the Polaris site.
Polaris also agrees to meet employment goals, with plans to create jobs with salaries averaging between $49,500 up to $61,800. Although there will be some transfers, at least 40 new jobs will be created.
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