Levelland would like to congratulate
Amarillo on their announcement of landing
Alstom, a wind turbine manufacturer. Amarillo is offering financial support to the company for development of the wind component manufacturing facility in the
CenterPort Business Park. The new project will create attractive green manufacturing jobs in Amarillo and will help meet growing demand for clean, renewable wind energy in Texas and across North America.
This development is just the beginning of what will be a cluster of wind energy manufacturing development created by the development of wind farms throughout not only the High Ground of Texas but throughout North America.
Our location in the heart of the High Ground of Texas and its recent $8.6 million investment in rail transportation infrastructure make Levelland an ideal site for future wind energy manufacturing. We can leverage development taking place across the region to position the Levelland Industrial Rail Park as a major player as this alternative energy industry matures.
Congratulations once again to our neighbors to the north. Keep up the good work.
Texas Music star
Mark Mckinney's "Are We Doing This" seems an appropriate song for the Levelland Industrial Rail Park. This weekend crews from
Railroad Specialties Inc. began work on the much anticipated rail served industrial park located just 30 miles west of Lubbock Texas and the
BNSF interchange point which opens opportunities for Levelland based businesses to ship and receive freight from anywhere in the world.
With over 21,000 feet of rail being installed on the 300 acre site, the LIRP will offer rail service to companies looking to gain access to the booming renewable wind industry taking place throughout the High Ground of Texas. Located in the heart of the South Plains, Levelland is positioning itself as a logical hub for other fields of business as well, including agriculture, manufacturing and petroleum industries.
For more information on putting your business in the Levelland Industrial Rail Park and accessing global markets visit www.GoLevelland.com/rail today.
There have been a lot of question about the status of Levelland's newest manufacturer, Eco Blue. Well I'm here to tell you that what you see is not always what you get.
For the past month the owners of Eco Blue, a cotton insulation manufacturer located in Levelland's Industrial Park, have been working on rewiring their building, purchasing equipment and wiring it in and then running test to insure their product is ready for the customer.
The problem is that they are doing all of this behind closed doors. The parking lot is empty and the building is locked up tight with a note asking visitors to simply call a cell phone number. This obviously has caused knitting mill flash backs for some citizens.
Please let me assure the good people of Levelland that while you think you see an empty building in reality what you see is more like a cocoon.
The process that is used by Eco Blue to fire retard the cotton is a trade secret that they can ill afford to have stolen. To protect their intellectual property Rex and David simply pull their vehicles into the building and lock the doors. This keeps prying eyes from wondering into the building and keeps their process safe as a newborn baby in his mother's arms.
Sensing that the natives were growing restless Eco Blue invited the Levelland EDC board out for a tour last Friday. After signing confidentiality agreements and stopping just short of taking a blood oath we were allowed to tour the plant.
While for reasons previously mentioned I can't tell you what I saw. I can share that there has been a consider amount of work done to the building and equipment has been set into place and is now being fined tuned. With any luck Eco Blue will be up and producing cotton insulation made from both recycled denim and West Texas raw cotton before we flip the calendar page again.
So rest easy citizens of Levelland. Things are getting better every day!
This morning in Levelland, two very cool things happened in Levelland's Industrial Park.
Eco Blue Inc. produced their first bale of fire retardant cotton/denim insulation from their manufacturing plant and Independent Electric broke ground on a new building and warehouse.
Both projects have been in the work for some time, but his morning a corner was turned. With board members of the Levelland Economic Development Corporation, Judy Roundtree and Wanda Lawless, present the Eco Blue owners displayed their first bale of product. 
The bale, which is headed to Tennessee for a 1000 sq. ft. home, was produced from denim from South Carolina. Eco Blue will continue to fine tune their process and begin full production in October.
While just across the street employees with Robert Mcham, a local dirt contractor began work on a pad site for Independent Electric's new building and warehouse. Independent Electric (IE), a locally owned electrical contractor,
purchased the site from the Levelland Development Foundation back in 2008 with the intention of relocating their business to the Levelland Industrial Park. IE have been awarded several local contracts including the newest shopping center next to the Wal-Mart Supercenter and both the new Levelland Junior High and the Levelland Academic Beginning Center (ABC).
Congratulations to both these companies for their new endeavors. The Levelland Economic Development Corporation wishes you all the best. Thanks for your investment in Levelland and its future.
Levelland EDC officials met at noon on Monday with Eco Blue to iron out details of a deal that will bring the cotton insulation manufacturer to Levelland, a rural community just 30 miles west of Lubbock, Texas.
After months of negotiations, a deal was finally reached that will put a 40,000 sq. ft. industrial building back into use in the Levelland Industrial Park.
Eco Blue director and plant manager David Davis says, "We want to be here and we are ready to get started." Davis along with his partner Rex Neitsch will begin moving in equipment this week and expect to be up and running within a couple of weeks.
The company signed a 10 year lease purchase agreement that will put the cotton insulation manufacturer into operation in the former knitting mill building. Eco Blue will be required to hire 20 full time employees within 24 months and make additional capital investments. In return the EDC agrees to provide $350,000 corporate incentive for operating capital, 1/2 at time of equipment delivery and 1/2 when the first pound of cotton insulation is produced and ready for shipping.
The company will use raw cotton grown locally for a feedstock to produce a finished loose-fill insulation that is safe for the environment, contains no harmful chemicals or irritants, and will be shipped nationwide. They will also produce a line of products for the bedding industry and a line of natural cotton batt insulation.
Watch for more to come as the company begins its operation in the Levelland Industrial Park.
The following story submitted by the Levelland & Hockley County News Press 806.894.3121
Hockley County Commissioners approved a resolution of support for the proposed Tax Increment Financing Reinvestment Zone proposed for the future Levelland Industrial Rail Park.
Levelland City Manager Rick Osburn met with the commissioners to thank them for their endorsement of the TIF zone and to ask them to put their support into a resolution, which they approved unanimously. He told commissioners that the South Plains College Board of Regents will consider the TIF proposal at their April meeting and that the college's involvement will be essential to make the whole program work.
"Basically, there is no risk with the taxing entities benefiting from personal property and inventory taxes if Project Gorilla goes forward," Osburn said. "Not doing it is the biggest loss." This TIF is to encourage industrial development.
The city and the Levelland Economic Development Corporation have been working on a project which will require the construction of a 550,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility, which would add about $28 million in new real property value and $60 million in personal property consisting of manufacturing equipment and inventory.
By law, new taxes generated by real property development go into the TIF program to pay for the infrastructure while new taxes from new personal property would go directly to the taxing entities.
Osburn agreed that the Levelland TIF Zone #1 the city and county participate in has done exactly what it was supposed to do: stimulate housing construction. The goal was seven new houses; it has already resulted in 19 new houses being permitted. Osburn also asked that commissioners appoint a representative to serve on the new TIF board. Commissioner J.L. "Whitey" Barnett agreed to serve in that capacity.
Commissioners also authorized the filing of paperwork for the upcoming multi-purpose event center bond election, approved refunds of overpayments of property taxes, denied the resale of property in Sundown, approved a resolution which will allow the county to be reimbursed for expenses associated with the multi-purpose event center if the bond issue passes, and okayed an interlocal agreement between the city and the count in regard to a Justice Assistance Grant Program application and possible grant.
The City of Levelland has applied for federal grant dollars through the Economic Development Administration for Levelland Economic Development's new Industrial Rail Park. With support from Senator John Cornyn, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Representative Randy Neaugebauer the City of Levelland has a very good opportunity for federal funding.
Considered "Shovel Ready" the Levelland Industrial Rail Park fits the outlined requirements for the $787 billion federal stimulus package. The Levelland EDC has been working on this project for more than 6 months and have designs ready to go as soon as additional funding is secured.
Commitments from the Levelland EDC for $1.5 million, the City of Levelland and Hockley County for $250,000 a piece and a new TIF district that is being created for the project will help round out the financial support for the rail park.
The $11.9 million dollar investment will lead to $75 million in private capital investment and create close to 500 jobs in the community just 30 minutes west of Lubbock Texas. The rail park will connect manufactures to global markets via the Permian Basin Railways and BNSF.
This year's Renewable Energy Technology Conference and Exposition was an intimate show that allowed Levelland and other members of the High Ground of Texas delegation to visit with key players in the renewable energy sector.
For three days members of the High Ground of Texas pitched the opportunities in West Texas to entrepreneurs and other prospects including representatives from around the globe with representatives from Japan, Denmark and Italy coming by the booth.
Also while at the show Levelland Economic Development Corporation's Executive Director, Dave Quinn, had an opportunity to share information about the High Ground of Texas and Levelland during a live web cast hosted by Matthew Lesko. Watch the interview below.
Free Webcam Chat at Ustream
The
Levelland Economic Devleopment Corporation is expected to close on a deal with Eco Blue, a cotton fiber insulation manufacturer that will create more than 40 jobs in the community located just west of Lubbock, Texas.
Officials with Eco Blue have accepted the incentive package offered by the Levelland EDC. Eco Blue could begin manufacturing cotton fiber insulation by the second quater of 2009. The company previously produced the cotton insulation in Post, Texas but decided to relocate to Levelland to take advantage of land, infrastructure and workforce assets.
Under the agreement Eco Blue will purchase an existing 40,000 sq. ft facility located on Industrial drive in Levelland. The Levelland EDC offered Eco Blue a corporate incentive equal to $5000 per job and applied it toward the over all purchase price of the building. Eco Blue will pay the Levelland EDC $550,000 for the building and the LEDC will carry the note on the building for a 10 year period at a reduced interest rate. "This is a win/win for Levelland and Eco Blue," said Elgin Conner the LEDC chairman. "It allows Eco Blue to begin operating immediately while putting the building back on the tax roles for the community of Levelland and Hockley County."
The Levelland EDC has sites available in the new Levelland Industrial Rail Park that offers full city utilities, rail access and employees can be easily drawn from the Lubbock South Plains Workforce Development Area, with a pool of over 200,000 employees in the surrounding area.
In a meeting on Monday night, the Levelland City Council voted unanimously to begin the process of creating Levelland's second Tax Increment Financing District or TIF District.
Unlike the first Tax Increment Financing project created to build housing, this TIF will be utilized to build infrastructure needed for the new Levelland Rail Park, an industrial rail park being spearheaded by the Levelland Economic Development Corporation.
The rail park with an estimated cost of $8 million for rail, road, water and sewer improvements is expected to be a business magnet as more and more companies are looking for access to rail shipping to offset higher transportation cost.
The TIF will encompass roughly 320 acres west of the current Levelland Industrial park as well as an area south of Levelland that could be used for the Hockley County Multi-Purpose Event Center. The improvements could begin as early as May of 2009 if the other taxing entities vote to support the district. For more information on Levelland's initial TIF District visit the city's website LevellandTexas.org/tif