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Daviess County economic development office outlines grants, CSX site and Westgate projects
Summary
Economic development staff updated commissioners on a Duke Energy grant for a newcomer guide, a CSX select site on 47 acres, pursuit of EDA funding for a Westgate water tower (~$4 million), and land‑bank cleanup and housing projects including a $167,000 petroleum cleanup award and a $500,000 pad removal plan.
Bob Gury, reporting for the Daviess County economic development office (DCEDC), briefed commissioners on multiple projects the office is pursuing to support business attraction and downtown revitalization.
Gury said Duke Energy awarded a grant the office will use "to create a welcome guide for new residents" aimed at promoting Westgate and other local opportunities. He told the board that CSX will no longer perform rail inspections for the county and that a CSX "select site" on 47 acres near County Road 200 — across from the Shell building — is being positioned for potential future development.
On Westgate, Gury said the Economic Development Administration has indicated it could invest roughly $4 million in a project that would benefit the Westgate Technology Park, likely for a water tower sited on Daviess County property; local match sources remain under review. He also described land‑bank activity: the Upland Regional Land Bank and SIDC are building a first home in Scholes, the state committed $167,000 for petroleum cleanup at a Hartsburg gas station site, and the land bank is pursuing $500,000 from ROI to remove a pad on the Tokim site to make it developable.
Gury recommended better ROI tracking for county investments and said his office is creating a spreadsheet and using established regional modeling tools to tighten tax‑revenue and job forecasts before making budgetary recommendations.
Commissioners thanked staff for the update and suggested future briefings include contract highlights and key metrics so the board can more easily evaluate ROI across projects. No formal financial commitments were approved during the update segment; commissioners were asked to consider these projects in upcoming budget discussions.
