Wisc. committee approves Kestrel land transfer
Officials in Superior, Wisc., have approved a property transfer to allow Kestrel Aircraft Co. to build a manufacturing facility there, raising questions about the company's future expansion in Brunswick.
A county committee unanimously backed transferring 13.3 acres of county-owned land to the city's Redevelopment Authority to sell to Kestrel for $500,000, the Superior Telegram reported. Kestrel plans to build two facilities, one 35,000 square feet and the other 50,000 square feet, on two separate parcels in Superior to manufacture its single-engine turboprop plane. Construction could begin on the first facility as early as June and be nearly completed by the end of the year. Kestrel said it hopes to create up to 600 jobs by 2016. The full Douglas County board will take up the Land and Development Committee's recommendation on Jan. 19. According to The Forecaster, Superior is also planning to issue a $2.4 million bond on behalf of the company and donate the other parcel to the company.
In October, Kestrel CEO Alan Klapmeier said the company was looking to move some manufacturing work it planned to do in Maine to another state because of a lack of expected federal funding for the Brunswick Landing facility. The company had planned to hire 300 people in Brunswick, and currently employs 25. MRRA has been working with the company and state officials to find other funding sources.
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