Indiana depot redevelopment has first move-in ready building

NEWPORT, Ind. (AP) - The group overseeing redevelopment of a former Army chemical weapons depot in western Indiana is marketing its first move-in ready structure in a bid to lure companies to the property.

The former Newport Chemical Depot site about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Terre Haute is now known as the Vermillion Rise Mega Park, the (Terre Haute) Tribune Star reported. The park's first building is a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 square-meter) shell building.

"It is a mix of the old and new," said Bob Grewe, executive director of the park. "This shell building really helps us turn the page on the next chapter."

The building is empty so the company that moves into the space can design a floor plan and decide where to place plumbing and electrical controls and choose the flooring, said Dan Zuerner, vice president of Garmong Construction Services, which built and owns the building. Garmong owns about 30 acres for development at the park.

"It allows a company that wants to fast track their construction, they can start producing revenue with a product by getting in here quickly," he said.

The building can be completed to a specific plan within 90 to 120 days, Zuerner said. It can also be expanded up to 200,000 square feet (18,500 square meters).

The building is listed for sale at $3.4 million, though it can also be leased, Grewe said.

The Pentagon designated the 7,100-acre (2,800 hectare) depot for closure in 2005. The military began producing the deadly VX nerve agent there in the 1950s. Destruction of the VX that was stored there was completed in 2008.

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Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com