Dec. 19—LIMA — The Allen County commissioners on Thursday gave the verbal go-ahead for a 10-year, 50% property tax abatement requested by Nutrien for the construction of a new warehouse on property owned by the firm in Shawnee Township.
Final approval at the county level is pending the submission of a document signed by Shawnee Township trustees authorizing the abatement. Cindy Leis, president and chief executive officer of Allen Economic Development Group, said that paperwork should be completed prior to the commissioners' final agenda session on Dec. 24.
Commissioner Beth Seibert said if all documents are in order, "we will be ready to take action on Tuesday" to approve the abatement. Leis said representatives from Shawnee schools and Apollo Career Center have already signed off on the proposal.
Russ Decker, special projects manager for the Nutrien plant that produces ammonia, urea, nitric acid and diesel exhaust fluid for use in agriculture and industrial products, said once the abatement is formally approved, the company will begin construction of a 20,000-square foot warehouse on Fort Shawnee Industrial Drive. The estimated cost of the structure is between $1.2 and $1.7 million, Decker said.
"It's just your basic warehouse for parts and materials," he said. Decker noted the project is just one of many planned by the publicly-traded company in the foreseeable future.
"Next year will be our 70th year in Shawnee Township," Decker said, "and we're looking at a significant investment in the coming years. This past year alone, we invested more than $60 million in the community. This abatement helps us show our investors that we have the needed community support."
Commissioner Cory Noonan said the county is fortunate to have a firm like Nutrien that is willing to invest resources and create jobs. He called the company a "benefit to Allen County."
The abatement was orchestrated by the Allen Economic Development Group, a public/private partnership organized in 1993 as a facilitator for countywide economic development.
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