Major infrastructure upgrades needed at tech park

March 19, 2023

  • Mike Grant Times Herald | Mar 16, 2023
ODON —A new multi-million dollar micro processing chip fabrication plant in the Westgate tech park is going to lead in some very large and costly infrastructure improvements. Work is expected to begin soon on WestGate One. The 125,000 square foot building will be the home to four microchip companies. Total investment in the project itself is more than $300 million, but the fab operation is going to have a huge impact on the water and sewer facilities for the park. “This project is requiring some major investments in infrastructure at the technology park. The biggest need is wastewater treatment. There is a current plant but it is only set up to handle 50,000 gallons per day. Only a fraction of that is being utilized because of the activities now happening in the tech park,” said Daviess County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Bryant Niehoff. “With the investment in WestGate One that is going to completely change that. There will have to be some major investments in the wastewater operations. They are looking at both short term and long-term methods on how to handle the additional effluent that will be coming from the plant.” Wastewater projects are rarely cheap and with the needs expected to quadruple or more additional funding from the READI program is very welcome. “That is where the Regional Acceleration and Development Initiative or READI allocation from Indiana Uplands region is coming into play and is taking center stage in leading that effort,” said Niehoff. “There is up to $10 million in READI funds for infrastructure investments at Westgate. The wastewater treatment plant, water capacity, roads, power, things of that nature.” The chip plant project has already grown by 25 percent before construction could even begin. Officials with the building’s owner, Strongbox, have indicated that once the first building is started there could be even more facilities headed to the tech park in quick succession. That may mean even more needs for roads, water and sewer. “Some of the numbers being thrown out are very large. They are talking about 250,000 gallons per day. I don’t know if that is the initial amount or if it includes expansions,” said Niehoff. “There is other growth expected at the tech park related to but not directly a part of WestGate One. It is a major, major undertaking. We are talking four or five times beyond what we have.” The additional infrastructure is also reigniting some discussion about putting Crane Village on the upgraded utility systems. “It has been talked about for a while but one of the things being considered is allowing the town of Crane to be a part of this expansion,” said Niehoff. “There is a lot to work through there.” Niehoff says that having a big financial commitment for the infrastructure improvements from the Indiana Uplands READI fund is an important piece in the development of the WestGate One project. “It’s a major investment,” he said. “READI has been a really big thing in other parts of the region. I don’t know if our local folks are talking about it as much. This is a big thing for Daviess County.”