State Grant to Slash Partner Costs for Calvin Industrial Park Project
- Steve Jurrens
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - The Watertown Development Company (WDC) delivered its annual report to the Codington County Commissioners on Tuesday, beginning the meeting with positive news regarding a major local development project.
Before the formal presentation of the annual report by WDC Executive Director Chris Clifton, it was announced that the State of South Dakota is preliminarily set to grant $400,000Â for the Calvin Industrial Park Load Station Project.
The project is a collaborative effort between the City of Watertown, Watertown Municipal Utilities, and the WDC, as explained by Commissioner Troy VanDusen.
With the grant covering a large portion of the cost, the financial burden on the project partners is expected to be substantially reduced. Original projections estimated each partner would contribute approximately $121,000. With the new grant, that contribution is now projected to drop to roughly $45,000 to $50,000Â per partner.
WDC’s Strategy: A Public-Private Partnership for Growth
During his presentation, Clifton outlined the unique and critical role of the WDC as the state's oldest economic development organization. He emphasized that the WDC exists to facilitate large-scale industrial land development—such as the 60-acre Calvin Industrial Park—that the private sector is often unwilling to take on due to the high risk and long timeline.
Clifton noted that the Calvin project has been in development for nearly 5 years, with the infrastructure still 18 months from completion…
Clifton highlighted the significant return on investment generated by the WDC's model, which is funded equally by taxpayer dollars and private sector investment. He noted that historically, the tax dollar return has measured at least three-to-one, and sometimes as high as five-to-six-to-one.
Clifton is pointing to successful WDC-developed sites that now employ approximately 1,400 people with a payroll of about $10.5 million.
Clifton also stressed the competitive advantage of WDC's "shovel-ready" sites, citing a recent $4 million investment project that secured a site and broke ground in just 62 days. This speed-to-market is essential for attracting companies that might otherwise choose competing cities.
Looking Ahead to the Next Phase of Industrial Development
Looking to the future, Clifton underscored the urgency of securing more industrial land to achieve the region’s goal of continued population growth…
"We need nine more [industrial sites]," Clifton said, noting that to sustain a targeted 3-4% growth rate, the WDC has begun the search for the next 200-acre industrial site—a process that requires years of upfront design and engineering before any construction can begin.
The Commission also discussed the challenge of overcoming local opposition to development (the "not in my backyard" hurdle), which Clifton identified as the number one obstacle to real estate development. He assured the Commissioners that the WDC maintains a careful, well-thought-out process, including thorough vetting of potential companies to ensure they align with the community's environmental and safety standards.
Commissioners expressed appreciation for the WDC's work, acknowledging that while it is the "Watertown Development Company," its efforts lead to regional development that positively impacts the entire county.
WDC Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575044561877