Bridge maker looks at industrial park
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
February 22, 2009
An Arizona-based manufacturer of steel bridges and deck joints is taking a close look at the Kootenai Business Park Industrial District as a possible location for expansion, according to Kootenai River Development Council director Paul Rumelhart.
The owner of Stinger Welding, based in Coolidge, Ariz., owns land in the Yaak and plans to build a hangar at the Libby airport for his private plane, Rumelhart said. Over the past few months, he’s been working with local economic development officials on the possibility of setting up shop on the former Stimson mill site now managed as an industrial district.
"We’ve got the land available," Rumelhart said. "We’ve got the worker skill set that he’s looking for, which I think is our biggest asset."
The company would employ about 50 people initially and up to 150, Rumelhart said. It would need a 300-by-500 foot building, in three 100-foot sections, each with one 50-ton crane and two 25-ton cranes. Rumelhart estimated the cost of the building and associated infrastructure improvements at around $8 million.
"We want this to be on a pretty fast track," Rumelhart said.
KRDC is working with the company’s owner to help finance the project. Low-interest economic development loans and tax credits could be part of the package.
"This is going to take the cooperation of a lot of different funding entities," Rumelhart said.
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Editor’s Note: See the February 17, 2009 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, now on Tuesday, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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