By Jason Arndt
Correspondent
American Roller Company has agreed to reimburse the Village of Union Grove in excess of $20,000 for fees associated with the potential expansion of its property located on 13th Avenue in Union Grove.
American Roller is seeking to relocate its operations from a Kansasville facility to the Union Grove property.
Union Grove asked the company to reimburse the Village for attorney fees, engineering costs and financial consulting fees during the proceedings.
“If they decided not to go forward with the project, we will be insured with any costs,” Village President Mike Aimone explained at the board’s Jan. 27 meeting. “We will be paid back.”
In addition, the discussion between the Village and the company will include looking into expansion of the tax-increment finance district (TID).
“It is currently an active TID and it is operating. It is an opportunity to expand the TID to make it even more profitable,” Aimone said.
While the Village is assured it will not lose money in the process, discussions of how much land will be utilized is ongoing.
“We are looking at three drawings for the district onto new land for an expansion of American Roller,” Aimone said.
The Village Board also announced Monday the Racine County Economic Development Corporation has recommended Union Grove move forward with the operation during a Joint Village Board/Planning Commission closed meeting held Jan. 20.
“At this point the Planning Commission needs to meet to determine exactly how we want to change the boundaries, we are looking at possibly including other land in that area,” Aimone said.
“We are not sure yet, but we will definitely include land that is owned by American Roller.”
The company opted to expand its operations due to limited land space available at the Beaumont Avenue property in Kansasville.
“They are looking at a new building because they have outgrown their present facility in Kansasville,” Aimone added.
Pending the new project within the Village, the company did not disclose plans for the smaller facility in Kansasville.
American Roller told board members Monday night the company plans to keep all of its employees during the potential project and add more jobs.
“They are looking at (maintaining) the 27 jobs at the Kansasville facility and the creation of additional jobs in the future depending on how the growth of their product line goes,” Aimone said.
According to Aimone, the company is targeting completion of expansion by the end of 2014, which gives the Village a “pretty short timeline to make this happen.”
“They don’t have an exact amount, but that will be determined and worked in the developer’s agreement.”
American Roller has been in operation since 1938 when it opened its first facility in Chicago. It expanded into the Village of Union Grove in 1973 and into Kansasville by 1974. The company has its Corporate Headquarters in Union Grove on 13th Avenue.
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