Council approves memo of understanding for bioscience park occupation

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — The Worthington City Council Monday approved a memorandum of understanding between the city and Wind Energy Services (WES) for WES’s partial occupation of the Bioscience Incubator.

WES would use a 5,000-square foot segment of the 15,000-square-foot incubator as a home base for a wind turbine repair facility.

Steve Robinson of Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH), which has the design contract for the project, suggested soliciting bids by next week for the plumbing and flooring work in the space WES will occupy, though the lease has not yet been signed.

After the three-year, $99,000 lease is signed, WES hopes to occupy the building within 45 days, a timeline that Robinson called aggressive — and one that raised some concerns among council members.

However, “We’re at least 10 days away form signing a lease,” asserted Alderman Ron Wood, saying the timeline would be feasible if “we approve the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) now and SEH moves forward with the plans.”

Preparing the designated section of the incubator for WES will cost about $152,000 and include installing a hard surface area, fencing and an overhead door. The WES facility is also expected to employ one to three people.

Council members also discussed the larger project at hand, the development of the remaining part of the incubator and the building of an additional training and testing center, both to be funded by $1.3 million in state monies.

“This really is several things here. It’s economic development in its purest sense; we’re going to bring a new company into town,” said Wood. “We’ve been talking green for a long time; we would be bringing a green business into town.”

In other business, the council Monday:

- Approved a request for city sponsorship of the 2009 Bioscience Conference in the amount of $1,500.

- Approved two change orders for the YMCA/City of Worthington Aquatic Center.

- Entered a grant agreement with the State of Minnesota for 80 percent reimbursement on the replacement of the rotating beacon at Worthington Airport.

- Set a public hearing for 7 p.m. March 23 at City Hall regarding various improvements, including extending the municipal wastewater collection system on Grand Avenue.

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