Utility coming to Superior
SUPERIOR – An idea over a decade in the making is finally coming to fruition in Mineral County after federal grant money was allocated last week to providing a type of power source it is hoped will entice businesses to make the county their future home.
According to Montana State University Extension Agent Kevin Chamberlain, providing three-phase power to the airport site near Superior will not only encourage prospective businesses to take a closer look at Mineral County, it will also allow an already established business in the area to realize their full potential.
Chamberlain said providing the enhanced utility asset to Superior Meats will allow the company to increase their production capacity, make the operation more efficient and possibly save money in the long run. He said the process to get three-phase power to Superior Meats and eventually the airport site where it is hoped development will take place has been arduous and time consuming.
“It’s been a long haul but we finally got it going,” Chamberlain said. “We are going to try the ‘build it and they will come thing’ and just see what happens.”
According to Chamberlain, three-phase power is a type of utility companies looking to relocate somewhere routinely inquire about. The addition of the service, it is hoped, will make Mineral County an attractive option for industrial businesses.
“Mineral County, as far as attracting businesses, doesn’t have a lot to offer,” Chamberlain said. “We don’t have much county land so like a lot of other places, we don’t have an industrial park. We don’t a lot of places where commissioners can offer businesses an incentive to be here. So, what little flat ground we do have is precious. One of those sites is the airport.”
Chamberlain said, over a decade ago, the idea of establishing an industrial park near the airport was considered and it has taken this long to get three-phase power, an essential source of energy for industrial businesses, to the site. He also said, if businesses would relocate to the airport site, the revenue generated could help support the airport which is also considered an important asset to Mineral County.
“The thought was we could kill two birds with one stone,” Chamberlain said. “We want to get the site set up for basic industry. We get basic infrastructure to the site. We do the planning and get everything cleared with the FAA and then the airport would be basically be sustainable cause it realize the income from leases and rents.”
The money for the project came from a community block grant from the Montana Department of Commerce according to Chamberlain. He said the planning for the project should begin in coming months.