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Westgate Authority outlines multimillion-dollar investments, infrastructure phases and zoning push
Summary
Kent Parisian updated the Daviess County Board of Commissioners on new and expanding companies at Westgate Technology Park, multi‑phase infrastructure work tied to radiation‑hardening and hypersonics projects, and the authority's support for zoning in the park.
Kent Parisian, a Westgate Authority board appointee, told the Daviess County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 25 that multiple companies have either moved into or committed to the Westgate Technology Park and that infrastructure work and state and federal funding will determine whether planned buildings proceed on schedule.
Parisian said three of the four firms originally announced for the Microelectronics Building are already located in the tech park: Enhanced, Trusted Semiconductor Solutions (TSS) and Reliable Microsystems (RMS). "Enhanced invested $20,000,000 to improve the Bush Building," Parisian said, and the firm was expected to complete improvements and add 50 jobs in 2025. Parisian said TSS and RMS will occupy space in the EC2 (Engineering Collaboration Center) building, a $6,500,000 improvement to the former SAIC building, with roughly 100 jobs expected there in early 2025.
The authority reported a newly announced commitment from Amentum for what Parisian described as an RCE radiation‑hardening facility: an approximately $118,000,000 investment with a groundbreaking scheduled March 18, design start in Q2 2025 and completion in Q3 2026 for a 25,000‑square‑foot building. He also recapped a planned Kratos hypersonics/Indiana integration facility — an $80,000,000, 70,000‑square‑foot project expected to start in the March–May 2025 window and finish in Q1 2026, with about 50 jobs cited.
Parisian outlined a two‑phase infrastructure plan for the park: phase 1 (water wells, WTP, transmission mains and a wastewater treatment plant) and phase 2 (water distribution and collection improvements tied specifically to the radiation‑hardening facility). He said 60% design for phase 1 was anticipated by Jan. 15, 2025, with final design by Dec. 17, 2025. Phase 2 construction was projected to run from March 15, 2026, to March 15, 2028; Parisian cited a $16,900,000 estimate for phase 2 and roughly $6.1–$6.2 million for phase 1 construction. Parisian said funding sources include Ready 1 funds (about $2,500,000), redevelopment tax credits (about $5,000,000), a roughly $2.9 million EDA grant and a $13,500,000 congressional directed spending item shepherded by Senator Young. "As far as the congressional DS from Senator Young's office, I from what I understand it's appropriated, I just don't know where it's at and where DC's at," Parisian said.
Parisian also summarized broader project activity in and around the park, including a possible Project Prometheus/Acme Munitions campus under consideration in neighboring Greene County and additional private investments in nearby facilities.
On state policy, Parisian said Senate Bill 465 had passed the Senate and gone to the House and that House Bill 1615 included two elements: a $50,000,000 infrastructure fund to invest in infrastructure inside and near federal bases (he said that portion had been stripped in committee) and language increasing the cap on incremental tax revenue received by certified tech parks. He said the enacted change could raise the combined cap for the three Westgate tech parks (Daviess, Greene and Martin counties) toward $750,000 in incremental receipts under the proposal that reached lawmakers.
Parisian said the Westgate Authority supports zoning for the park to protect investments and maintain consistent development standards. "The Westgate Authority ... rises in support of zoning," he told commissioners, and he noted that many parcels in the park remain outside CCR control.
The authority plans further coordination through the Upland Science and Technology Foundation (USTF), which Parisian said will act as a local intermediary ("Lido") with county Lidos and county officials to centralize outreach and limit one‑on‑one approaches by firms.
Parisian closed by saying USTF and county officials expect follow‑up briefings in the coming months and that specific design and funding milestones will determine next steps for the phase 1 and phase 2 work.
Parisian's full update included company names, projected investment amounts, job counts, project timelines and a summary of expected funding sources; commissioners asked clarifying questions but took no formal action during the presentation.
