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Last updated on Friday, January 17, 2014
(LOOGOOTEE) - The former Perfect Fit textile planted, in Loogootee closed three years ago and 93 people lost their jobs. Hopefully soon the plant will reopen.
The Washington Times-Herald reports, in April 2011 the Knox County Association of Retarded Citizens purchased the building.The agency currently owns five manufacturing plants in Vincennes and Bicknell.
Mike Carney, KCARC president, told the Loogootee City Council his agency was interested in purchasing the building to be used for sewing extreme cold weather clothing for the military. He expected the monthly requirements for the military clothing to nearly double by summer and was looking to open another plant rather than overload his Vincennes workforce.
Carney told the Times-Herald Tuesday morning the Loogootee plant will manufacture something for the military, but it will be different than the work being done in Vincennes. Because the government is involved, Carney described the process as "ridiculously long," and was stalled when the government shutdown, but is now back on track.
While the bureaucratic process continues, Carney says the building is being renovated. Work includes installing modern, handicapped-accessible bathrooms, cleaning up the office area, closing in windows, adding an exterior door to accommodate small trucks, repairing the roof, painting the outside of the building and installing Internet service.
Carney will not be allowed to announce when the plant will reopen, because that announcement will be made by someone in the government.
The Bowling Manufacturing building was also discussed during Monday night's city council meeting by Tim Kinder, executive director of the Martin County Alliance, and by Bowling himself, who is alliance president. The alliance seeks to promote economic development in the county.
Kinder says the alliance is working on three projects in the county, but could not give any details. He described the effort to start Bowling Manufacturing as a "meticulous process that we cannot speed up.
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