MINTO – Council here has approved the sale of two lots in the Palmerston Industrial Park.
A Sept. 1 report to council from economic and business manager Belinda Wick-Graham outlined purchase offers from McLellan Industries and J&A Devries Construction Inc.
McLellan Industries, currently based in Ingersoll, will purchase a one-acre property at 340 Minto Road, formerly owned by Shrimp Canada.
The company, which produces livestock feed and supplements, plans to build a 7,200 square foot building.
It is anticipated the business will need three full-time employees.
“Michael Freiesleben and his son Erich both reside in Minto and are looking forward to having the business closer to home,” Wick-Graham stated in the report.
“Many of their customers are in Listowel, Mount Forest and Gorrie, so Palmerston is a great location.”
J&A Devries is purchasing a 0.8 acre property on Noble Family Road.
The company plans to begin construction on a 6,200 square foot building in the spring of 2021.
In 2017, Alfred DeVries purchased a property on Frank Lambier Court and developed an approximately 6,000 square foot rental building.
The property has been rented to TG Minto for a three-year term.
On the new property, Devries intends to create up to three rental units, Wick-Graham explained in the report.
Both purchasers will pay the town’s full asking price.
McLellan Industries will pay $35,000 and the project will generate $27,864 in development charges for the town.
J&A DeVries Construction Inc. will pay $28,000, with the project expected to generate $23,220 in development charges.
Councillor Ron Elliott asked how much industrial land remained available in the park.
“We are running low. We’ve got five three-acre parcels and a 14-acre certified site and I believe that’s it,” said chief building official Terry Kuipers.
He added that considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, “the amount of interest that we’re having in the industrial park is quite high.”
Mayor George Bridge added, “We seem to be getting a lot of people interested.
“They’re not only coming with their businesses from the city areas, but they also want to bring their employees as well.”
