Altius stays in Jacksonville TX thanks to grant

[rainbowgirl28]

Pole-vault pole maker remaining in J’ville thanks to land grant
Jacksonville Progress

By Kelly Young

kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com

With the city of Jacksonville caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place — potentially angering an entire neighborhood on one side and risking losing a business to a neighboring town on the other — the Jacksonville Economic Development Corp. stepped in with a plan to make all parties happy.

Earlier this month, JEDCO granted a 1.75-acre plot of land inside the S.A. Norman Industrial Park to Altius Poles, a small business that manufactures pole vaulting poles. The gift allows Altius to expand its operations and keeps them in Jacksonville.

Jeff Erickson, co-owner of Altius, originally attempted to purchase a plot of land along State Highway 135 for the location of his new building. However, his efforts to get that property in the 500 block of Pine Street rezoned from “B-One and Two Family Dwelling” to “J-Wholesale, Warehouse and Manufacturing District” were blocked at the October Jacksonville City Council meeting when several dozen members of the surrounding neighborhood attended the meeting and numerous spoke in opposition to the change during the public hearing.

“When he was unsuccessful in getting the zoning he needed on 135, Mr. Erickson was looking at moving his business to either Rusk or New Summerfield, so we stepped in and worked a deal to keep him here,” said Darrell Prcin, president of JEDCO. “This is what the land in the industrial park is for; it’s an enticement for potential businesses — if you build your business here, we will grant you the amount of land that you will need to do that.”

Prcin said Altius is just the type of company JEDCO is trying to attract to town.

“They are what we are looking for — a smaller business with a lot of growth potential. They are just starting to grow now, but I think they are looking at $1 million a year in revenue. I think they will grow here over the next several years and will be a good complement to our other businesses here,” he said.

The dirt work for Altius’ new 10,000 square-foot building has been completed, and construction of the structure itself is expected to begin soon.

Claude Armstrong, a member of the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission and one of the community members who spoke during the October public hearing, said JEDCO made a good decision by granting Erickson that land.

“We need every business we can get in this town. The people really weren’t against the business itself, just against that land being rezoned for industrial use. His business might not disrupt the neighborhood, but what about the person he sells it to?” Armstrong said. “Eventually something is probably going to be put on that location — the neighborhood would just like for it to be commercial rather than industrial. I’m personally very pleased with how the situation was settled.”

While the plan is not yet set in stone, Prcin said Erickson also has plans to open a pole vault pit-making business here in the future.

“He was really concerned when the 135 project fell through, but I think we got it all back on track,” Prcin said. “He was ready to go elsewhere, and we did this to make sure he stayed here. In the end, I think it all worked out very well.”

City Manager Mo Raissi said he was pleased that the situation could be resolved in a manner that was acceptable to all involved.

“I think both sides are now happy, and the city is happy to have not lost that business,” he said.

Efforts to contact Erickson were unsuccessful.

[vaultmd]

"Growth potential"?

How many of us do they think there are?