A $500,000 incentive to attract a German-based pet food producer unanimously passed Tuesday through the Vigo County Council.
Saturn Petcare, based in Bremen, Germany, is seeking to purchase the former Pillsbury facility in Seelyville on U.S. 40. The company plans to produce wet and dry food for dogs and cats.
During a site visit in early January, the company indicated it had an unexpected wastewater pretreatment issue which could cost at least $1 million to resolve, Claudia Tanoos, vice president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., told the county council. The plant’s waste must be pretreated before it can be discharged into Terre Haute’s sanitary system.
Pretreatment equipment will be added to the Pillsbury facility. Tanoos said the $500,000 for the pretreatment, to be paid from the county’s Economic Development Income Tax, was added as an incentive to attract the company to the Seelyville building. The building, at about 60 years old and with low ceilings, would be difficult to market; however, the addition of Saturn Petcare would be a boost to Seelvyille and Vigo County, Tanoos said.
That’s because the company has committed to 200 jobs, with an average hourly rate of $18.60 per hour, by the end of 2024, Tanoos said.
The company intends to invest $37 million by the end of 2024, with about $12 million in building improvements and about $25 million in new manufacturing equipment.
The town of Seelyville has already approved 10-year real and personal property tax abatements for Saturn Petcare.
In other business, the council approved an amendment to the Vigo County Police Retirement Plan. Councilman Bill Thomas told the council the amendment allows a retirement option to convert a lump sum distribution into a monthly annuity distribution. Council President Aaron Loudermilk said a request for retroactive pay from the county coroner’s office, heard before a council committee last month, has been pulled until more information is presented.
The council also approved a proclamation designating the month of April as Parkinson Awareness Month. The disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease and affects 1 percent of the population worldwide after the age of 65. It is estimated it impacts 1 million people annually in the United States and may double by 2040. It is the 14th leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with an economic impact of $14.4 billion, including indirect costs to patients and family members.
Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached 812-231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com. Follow on Twitter@TribStarHoward.
