(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Transportation Commission approved funding for road improvements for business projects in Butler County and Burlington Tuesday. The D-O-T’s Deb Arp says the Butler County award will extend a roadway in the business park near Shell Rock.
“Feldmeier Equipment plans to establish a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in the Butler Logistics Park with a proposed 130-thousand square foot facility on an approximately 24 acre site that will allow expansion of operations,” she says. Arp says the company makes pressure tanks for liquids and gases and needs to move to expand.
“Feldmeier will be consolidating its existing Shell Rock production line with a relocated production line from New York State that produces larger vessels. The existing facility is landlocked in Shell Rock and lacks the space necessary to accommodate expansion,” Arp says. She says the roadway will also open up 12 more acres for future development. The Transportation Commission approved a 360-thousand dollar Rise (Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy) grant for the project.
“The proposed RISE grant will support the retention of 36 full-time jobs and over 22-point-five million dollars in associated capital investment. The proposed average wage of 30 dollars per hour is 104 percent of the Butler County Labor Shed average wage of 28-dollars, 76 cents per hour,” she says Feldmeier Equipment anticipates occupancy and start of production in the new facility in early 2027. The city of Burlington received an 853-thousand dollar RISE grant for a roundabout to improve access for an expanding company.
“The proposed roadway assists in the creation of 75 jobs and will provide improved access to Western Smokehouse Partners, a co-manufacturer of snack meats, providing third-party production and packaging services for client brands and private label companies,” Arp says. She says the company wants to make a big increase in production.
“Western Smokehouse Partners currently has 230 employees and an existing facility of over 100-thousand square feet, but will be increasing capacity by roughly 30 percent through an 18 million dollar expansion,” she says. Western Smokehouse Partners manufactures products for six partner companies and the expansion is expected to bring in an additional four to six partners by producing four to 16 unique items each.
