A tip of the hat to Berks Park 78
Oct 13, 2012 (Menafn - Reading Eagle - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Equipment from area construction companies pointed to the reason Gov. Tom Corbett was standing Friday in an open field in Bethel Township.
PetSmart Inc. was about to begin work on a new 870,000-square-foot distribution center in the Berks Park 78 industrial center.
The 50 million project is expected to be completed by early 2014 and eventually create 500 permanent jobs in the region by 2016.
The site off Interstate 78 and Route 501 is ideal because it's within one long day's ride of 60 percent of the eastern United States, Corbett said.
A workforce is readily available, and the cost of power continues to go down, he said.
"This is about growing the economy in Pennsylvania," Corbett said.
The state is likely to continue seeing the economy grow because it has improved the business climate, he said.
Corbett told PetSmart officials that he hoped that he and his Airedale terriers, Penny and Harry, would be invited for the ribbon cutting when the center is done.
"They've grown up on PetSmart," he said.
Eddie Burt, a senior vice president for PetSmart, said initially the center will serve 154 stores, increasing eventually to 250.
The building will be energy efficient, he said.
Aquarium water, cardboard and shipping pallets will be recycled, Burt said.
The company supports animal welfare through its foundation, PetSmart Charities, and believes in becoming part of a community, he said.
"We believe in the power and influence it can bring," Burt said.
Construction equipment on the site belonging to Landis C. Deck & Sons, Bernville, and Lehigh Valley Site Contractors Inc., Easton, shows the company's commitment to using local contractors, said David Buck, managing director of USAA Real Estate, a San Antonio-based business assisting PetSmart with the project.
The tax incentive plan approved by the county, Bethel Township and Tulpehocken School District helped lure PetSmart to Berks, said county Commissioner Christian Y. Leinbach.
PetSmart will pay taxes on the assessed value of the unimproved land for the first year and increase payments by 10 percent annually based on the increased assessment after the value of the improvements are added, he said.
The company will be paying full taxes in the 11th year, Leinbach said.
"That was a critical piece in being able to win this project," he said. "The economic benefit will be directly proportional to the investment PetSmart is willing to make. Over time, that makes all the sense in the world."
Work also has begun on a Dollar General distribution center in the 323-acre park owned by the Berks County Industrial Development Authority. Two other sites still are available.
Authority Executive Director Thomas C. McKeon said the economic impact the industrial park will have on the county is amazing.
Also pleased to welcome PetSmart to Berks was Bethel Township Supervisor Randall G. Haag.
"It's been a long time coming," he said.
Contact Mary Young: 610-478-6292 or myoung@readingeagle.com.
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