ABOVE: Much of this past Tuesday’s (May 14th) meeting of Danville/Vermilion County leaders with Governor Pritzker concerned possibilities for repurposing the Quaker Oats facility, as well as the area around it.
Danville’s Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr says the recent meeting he and other area leaders had with Governor J.B. Pritzker brought praise from the state’s top executive. Williams says the governor came out and said other areas do not seem very unified at all when they meet with him, but not so for Danville and Vermilion County.
AUDIO: He said to us, you know, “There are often areas in the state that need help. And I go in, and we try to help them, but they’re so disorganized, or there’s so much infighting, that we can’t really accomplish anything even if we gave them all the money that they needed. I see the exact opposite with your team; that you all are prepared. And that will make it so much easier to work with you, and it makes us want to work with you.”
Similar to what we heard from Vermilion Advantage CEO Mike Marron, much of the meeting was about what to do next with the now closed Quaker Oats facility. And Mayor Williams says connecting Danville to resources and funding streams to be able to, for example, team up that property with adjacent property, is a major possibility.
AUDIO: The City of Danville has over 40 acres in the former Heatcraft plant, and there’s also farmland and other acreage that’s available there. We could possibly assemble as such as 300 acres that’s right on a railroad with its own spur. And if the governor can help us make that cleanup happen, and help us market it; I have no doubt that we could get a strong employer here that we’ve been hoping for in Vermilion County for decades.
Danville’s Mayor Williams says he has heard reports of Red Lobster planning to auction off equipment inside their recently closed restaurants around the country.
As for another very common local business topic, the recent (May 13th) closing of the Red Lobster restaurant; Mayor Williams says, yes, the building seems to be in good shape for a new tenant. But one major lingering question right now is, “What will end up being available?”
AUDIO: I understand Red Lobster intends, nationally they said, that they intend to auction off a lot of their equipment. I think it depends on kind of what’s left. Is it just the building? Is it the building and equipment? I think that will also play a large role in what can go in there.
Mayor Williams says just because a structure is in good shape does not mean it’s ideal for all kinds of restaurants. It’s all a matter of getting the right fit.
