Friday, August 24th, 2018
County gains funds to aid expansion
Rockford firm plans $27M project
By William Kincaid
CELINA - Mercer County officials have secured another sizable grant to help finance roadway work related to the expansion of a Rockford business.
Commissioners Greg Homan, Jerry Laffin and Rick Muhlenkamp on Thursday morning signed off on an economic development agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation that will provide up to $75,000 to help facilitate the Fremont Co.'s proposed $27 million expansion of its Rockford plant at 150 Hickory St.
The company aims to construct a storage warehouse of more than 150,000 square feet, president Chris Smith told the newspaper. As part of the project, a new business access point is planned off U.S. 33, county community development director Jared Ebbing told the newspaper.
When paired with a recently obtained $255,000 Ohio Development Services Agency 629 Roadwork Grant, the county now has $330,000 to commit toward a $505,000 estimated turn lane project on U.S. 33 to ensure safety for increased truck traffic to the plant.
The county plans to have constructed on U.S. 33 a 250-foot-long eastbound right turn lane and 220-foot-long westbound left turn lane at the newly proposed intersection of the Hickory Street extension, ODOT grant agreement papers show.
A local match of $175,000 is required as part of the $505,000 project, which Ebbing said will come from a mix of funds from the county and the village of Rockford as well as work completed by Fremont Co.
Much work and planning, though, are necessary before the county-led roadwork can get underway, likely not until spring or summer 2019, Ebbing said, adding the work will be bid out over the winter.
"There's no way we'll be able to get it done yet this year," he said.
Meanwhile, dirt work has commenced at the expansion site with a targeted project completion date of January, according to Smith.
Fremont makes ketchup, barbecue sauce and steak sauce at the Rockford facility and produces mainly sauerkraut at its Fremont location. It is the second-largest maker of private-label ketchup in the U.S.
Smith said the company, which distributes its products nationally as well as exporting to 60 countries, had seen an uptick in overall business even before it planned to expand the Rockford plant.
The company, which employs more than 70 workers, is anticipating adding as many as 70 full-time positions as a result of the expansion, which would generate $2.6 million in new annual payroll on top of the current $2.2 million, Smith added.
Of those 70 projected new jobs, about 34 have already been created and filled over the last few months, Smith said.