Strata Worldwide first tenant
Elaine Blaisdell
— OAKLAND — Site work for the Strata manufacturing facility to be located at the Keysers Ridge Business Park is about 90 percent complete, according to Frank Shap, assistant director for Garrett County Economic Development.
“We will be ready to start pouring concrete we hope within a week or two for the footers for the building,” said Shap during Tuesday’s county commission meeting. “The building materials have been delivered to the site. Beitzel Corporation is the contractor for construction of the building and they plan to start soon as they have access to the site pad.”
In November, the commissioners awarded a $589,534 contract to Excavating Associates for site work at the park. They also awarded a $1,024,000 contract to Beitzel Corp. of Grantsville for design and construction of the facility
Strata Worldwide LLC will occupy the space in October and will offer 25 jobs over the next three years, according to Shap.
For the last 20 years, Strata Worldwide has been developing innovative safety solutions for underground coal mines all over the world, according to the company’s website.
“It’s the first tenant in what we are hoping will be additional tenants in the park focused on the energy sector,” said Shap. “We are trying to market that site as something that takes advantage of the various energy resources, opportunities and alternatives that are available in the county.”
Negotiations are underway for Exelon Corp., an American energy producer, trader and distributer that is developing wind farms in the county, to occupy a space in the park.
In April 2013, the Maryland Economic Development Corp. transferred more than 180 acres of land valued at $2.5 million to the commissioners to develop the park. In September 2013, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development entered into an agreement with the commissioners, providing $625,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding to partially finance the construction of a 12,000-square-foot building in the park.
The commissioners re-cently submitted a $900,000 funding request for a water treatment plant at the park to the Appalachian Regional Commission.
A plant is needed at the business park to serve both residents and businesses for the future development. Currently, residents are using septic systems and businesses are receiving wastewater service from Bruceton Farm Service, a private entity that no longer wants to provide those services, according to the preliminary project description.
Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com.
