Editorial: A development win

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• Council approves memo of understanding for bioscience park occupation

An economic development deal that has been a long time in the making became more concrete during Monday night’s Worthington City Council meeting.

Wind Energy Services (WES), which currently has operations in Independence, Kan., and Sweetwater, Texas, is now poised to occupy space in the City of Worthington’s bioscience incubator within the next 45 days. That’s thanks to a memorandum of understanding approved by the council Monday, which is expected to be followed shortly by WES’ signing of a lease agreement.

According to its Web site, “WES delivers responsive, on-site engineering expertise to assess and repair on-tower damages to vital structural and surface components.” While the WES facility in Worthington is expected to employ one to three people, WES will also employ 12 to 15 technicians who do on-site (or on-tower work) throughout the region, Worthington Regional Development Corp. Manager Glenn Thuringer said Tuesday.

And that, Thuringer suggested, is only the beginning. The development of the remaining portion of the bioscience incubator, as well as the construction of an additional bioscience training and testing center, will follow, thanks to $1.3 million in state funding. WES is expected to occupy a larger space in the incubator once it’s further developed — and the company’s current lease expires. If all goes according to plan, WES will prosper in Worthington, further stimulating the economy of this community and the region.

Particularly in difficult times, every government entity desires some type of economic stimulus. It appears we’ve got a boost now, and in renewable energy no less — an area seemingly everybody wants to tap into. Now, let’s get that lease signed, and be thankful the trade winds of development are blowing in our direction.

Tags: wind energy services, opinion, wredc, worthington, worthingtoncitycouncil, glennthuringer, glenn, thuringer