City of Washington to obtain Whitsell property, bring in new tenant

WASHINGTON - With the Whitesell Corporation moving out of Washington, the city will obtain the property and is in the process of organizing inspections to be done.

City Administrator Brent Hinson said the firm, which creates manufacturing supplies, announced the closure of the Washington plant in the fall. Talks then began with the city about what could be done with the building to ensure it did not stay vacant.

'Basically we have good relations with them and they wanted to do well by Washington and create an opportunity to see what more jobs could be created in the future,” he said.

Currently, Whitesell employees are still working in the building and will move out in the spring, he said.

The project is a joint partnership between the city and the Washington Economic Development Group (WEDG), he said. The city is taking the lead on the project because some expenses are expected to arise.

At the city council meeting Tuesday night, the council approved spending $17,750 on an environmental site assessment (ESA) and asbestos survey. These are part of the 'environmental due diligence” the city is required to complete for legal reasons before a new tenant can cone in.

'We're expecting at this point that we'll hopefully have all that due diligence work wrapped up by the beginning of March,” he said.

The council also approved spending $5,000 on a roof inspection. Hinson said the city is expecting to reimburse itself quickly for the cost through rent payments from a tenant that will occupy the space.

He would not reveal the name of the entity or if it is a new business to Washington. However, Hinson said the job growth expected to come from the new business will be beneficial to Washington.

'Their growth potential is significant and having this type of facility will make that even more possible,” he said.