Alright, Zach, I'm Roman, everybody's alright.
But give us an update on where we are
with the CHS crush plant,
because Evansville has been the potential location
for one of these facilities for,
since 2000, early 2000s really, right?
Yeah, so there was an initial soy processing plant proposal,
probably more than a decade or so ago
that did not happen at the last recession, 2008, 2009.
The current plant that's looking to locate here,
started talking to us a couple of years ago,
and they worked out a contract with us,
so they've been reimbursing us for some of our costs
that we incurred to do engineering analysis,
stuff like that, so that's been ongoing.
And in that contract,
there's some kind of key dates that have been set up,
and one of the first ones coming up
is summer of next year to start that construction process.
So they are, we're kind of all marching towards that date.
They did recently get their air permit,
so they have that in hand right now,
and they've been updating our council quarterly
on their progress on things.
So as far as you know, is it more of a federal thing
that they're waiting to say yes?
Yeah, that's a great question.
The, we have those dates in our contract,
and they're just obligated to kind of tell us
when they've got to the next mile post.
They have their own internal review process
that they're doing to evaluate the project,
you know, from year to year, timing or whatever.
We're not privy to all their internal metrics, right?
But, you know, there's probably a lot of factors
that they're trying to weigh right now.
So what would it mean to have this facility here?
Because there's a connection with Evansville
and soybeans, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We are somehow named the soybean capital of Wisconsin.
We have a sign up as you come into town from the south.
And, you know, we, there's a lot of soy grown
in this region, Southern Wisconsin, Northern Illinois.
There's a lot of soy farms that are out there,
planting beans.
So there's a, there's a,
and those folks have nowhere to go with their beans.
They need to go elsewhere out of state,
migrate away from the Rock County area, Evansville area.
And, you know, so this plant would give them a place
to take their beans, right?
Someplace local, not a two hour drive,
but a closer drive.
And the investment in Evansville is, of course, huge.
One of the biggest commercial or industrial projects
that we've ever had.
So we have about an $800 million construction budget
to get the plant built.
There's about a 25 acre out lot that's on the property as well
that could be used for other development,
commercial restaurants, things, something like that.
It has drawn a lot of interest to the city.
So other surrounding development ideas have kind of come
to our doorstep inquiring about what would go good
with a CHS or a soy type facility.
So it would mean a lot to us.
Learning, though, from the past and our first soy plant,
we looked at a decade or so ago, we've been very careful
as we've gone along in the process to make sure
that there's no city funds outlayed
that would be coming out of the taxpayer's pocket,
making sure that the review process is done
with consultants and CHS's reimbursement.
And then they have asked for some tip incentives
when they build.
And again, those tips to be given out on an annual basis,
making sure we don't get ahead of ourselves financially.
So I'm sure you're aware of the international crisis
over American soybeans with China,
saying they're not going to buy them anymore.
Right now, farmers are harvesting and bringing
them to the bin, and they don't know if any of them
are going to be sold or whether they're going to lose money
on all of them.
How much of this is kind of holding your breath
is the potential answer to a lot of these.
We'll be ready by now, obviously, here next year.
But it could be right there.
Yeah, you know, I am not a soy farmer, right?
I'm not a soy processor.
So I don't know how all those things
affect their line of business.
I guess what I can say is probably since COVID,
we've had a number of businesses that have been either
looking at building or building here.
And I think kind of post COVID, post some
of the economy questions, you know, a few years ago,
have made a lot of businesses kind of, you know,
adjust and, you know, take a different route or reevaluate.
So what factors are leading into their particular timeline
for development?
I don't know.
But is this kind of a, I mean, you talk about the significance
for Evansville, it's kind of a hold your breath moment
to like, to wait and see what happens?
Well, you know, I guess a little bit, I will say,
as we entered this process, we were very careful
that we wouldn't be in a position where we have to hold
our breath for it to come here, right?
It would be incredible if it came here.
It did a great addition to the city.
It would do a lot for the city economically
from a tax base and other, you know,
and Zillory Industries that might come
might come and locate around it, all tremendous things.
But we carefully paced the project in our participation.
So if it doesn't happen, we're not any worse often
were, you know, that day before.
I can give some examples of that.
The land that they have purchased used to be under
four or five different landowners.
Since before I came on staff for the city,
there's been a lot of attempt to get the land
assembled under one landowner without any success.
And this project made that happen.
There's been a lot of talk about getting a tax increment
district out there, and this project made that happen.
And in fact, that district got a special exemption signed
by the governor about a year or so ago.
That makes, so that district doesn't have a negative impact
on the rest of the city's taxing districts.
So we've done a lot of things along the way
that leave that land in a much more developable place
than it was perhaps the year or month before.
But leading up to, you know, the hopeful breaking ground
of a soy facility there.
But if not, I think there'd be some disappointment.
But I think we are prepared either direction this may go
to make sure the city comes out of the situation
financially strong.
If it does happen, do you think people are prepared
for the amount of trucks that are becoming
in our August time?
Yeah, no, there was a lot of public hearing.
A lot of, there was a public presentation done.
I want to say a year and a half ago now.
That was one of the primary topics in really trying
to get our head around what does that look like.
There was a traffic study done that gave traffic numbers
and amounts that really kind of helped illustrate
to the public where traffic would be coming from,
what it would be coming for, and then peak times,
things like that.
What I can say is a couple of decades ago
when that initial soy plant was proposed,
County M and highway 14, that whole intersection there
was actually upgraded to handle the capacity
that we may see with this new plant.
So the intersection is ready to take the traffic.
It's just a matter of, I think, adjusting to no longer.
A quick green light there may be a couple more seconds
that we have to wait to make a left or a right turn.
So obviously the title of soybean capital came
before this facility.
But they're just going to cement that in there.
I think it would.
Arguably would definitely cement that title, yeah.
All right.
Anything else that you want to add along these lines?
Again, Sydney's excited about this.
We've gone into this, making sure that we are financially
looking towards the future and not the past on it.
And then also, we've worked with a lot of partners
that have located businesses here, done things here.
And CHS has just been very, very great.
They come every quarter to communicate,
to counsel the current status of the project
where things are, and they've had monthly calls
with staff kind of going over some things.
So it's been really great to have somebody
who can pick up that phone, answer our questions,
and as we kind of wait and see what happens next.
So.
All right.
Can I get you a say and spell your name
and give your title?
Jason Sargent, J-A-S-O-N-S-E-R-G-E-A-N-T,
and my title is City Administrator.
All right.
That's all we need from you.
All right.
Thank you very much.
Is that before I kind of just want to get 15 seconds
from room to room?
Okay.
So we're just going to quiet and let the camera record
the ambiance.
All right.