Jackson in midst of boom

• New home

Tim Kremer of B & L Construction, a Lismore company, works on a house in the Sunset View subdivision in Jackson Thursday.

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JACKSON — Economic times may be tough, but a subdivision and apartment building are being built and businesses are looking for new employees in Jackson, according to Sue Pirsig, the city’s economic development coordinator.

“I think this is so different from what other communities are seeing,” Pirsig said. “It’s not all bad news.”

Agricultural manufacturer AgCo, for example, is in the midst of hiring 150 people, including welders, material handlers, engineers and painters.

Accent, an insurance recovery business, wants to hire 15 to 20 people. Technical Services for Electronics, which manufactures wiring components for the medical field, wants to hire 12 people. HitchDoc, too, is looking for new employees.

“They’re expanding their work forces,” Pirsig explained. “They’re industries that are not being negatively impacted by the economy. They’re the right people, in the right place, at the right time.”

Optimism may also be warranted for Jackson’s housing situation, Pirsig said.

Construction will begin soon for Ashley Estates, a three-story market-rate apartment building that will be located near Jackson’s City Hall next to a planned city park off the Des Moines River.

The building of the city park won’t begin until work on the Des Moines River dam is complete. The dam project is currently in the permit approval process, Pirsig said.

Builders have already started constructing homes, including one duplex, on four lots in Jackson’s Sunset View subdivision, and the city plans to work on a new section for the subdivision next year.

“Our retailers are saying our houses are selling,” Pirsig said. “Our housing market is strong and that’s why our subdivision is filling up. We’ve already gotten a lot of interest in Phase II.”

Like many other small rural cities, Jackson continues to struggle to maintain its historic downtown and the retail operations there. Four businesses are for sale in the downtown area.

“Our Main Street is pretty empty, and we really need people, now more than ever, to support those businesses,” Pirsig said, adding that big box stores such as Wal-Mart have taken business away from local shops. People are also just not spending as much because of the economic downturn.

The Jackson Business Development Committee is working on retention and growth of the downtown area.

One option for the city is to make the Chozen building in the downtown area, which was recently donated to the City of Jackson, into a small business incubator. That way, business owners could rent part of the building until they find out whether their businesses could survive on their own and then rent or purchase a larger space.

The Small Cities program will also improve some of the buildings in the downtown area, offering loans for improvements. A portion of the loans is forgiven if the borrower stays in the building long enough.

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