Wellington entices manufacturer to relocate to town

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Wellington did its part in late January to entice a light manufacturing company to relocate to the town and bring up to 150 jobs.

The town board on Jan. 29 unanimously approved a pre-annexation agreement with Bonfire LLC, offering incentives valued at $680,000 to the Loveland company should it annex land to Wellington and build a new facility.

Pleased with the concessions Wellington provided, Bonfire LLC purchased an 84-acre property northeast of Eyestone Elementary School on Jan. 31. Brokers were Lou Kinzli and Ed Rupert. The agricultural land along County Road 7 (Sixth Street in town) was sold by Lyle Hilderman.

Brothers Ron and Roger Weinmeister, who own Bonfire with two other family members, attended the town board meeting to answer questions. Members of the Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce were also there to show support for the business.

Roger and Ron Weinmeister are officers of Super Vacuum Manufacturing Co. in Loveland. Super Vac is a leading manufacturer of emergency ventilation systems. Two other divisions of the business build custom rescue vehicles and floodlighting towers.

Ron Weinmeister told the crowd that his company, which makes public safety equipment for police and fire departments, has been in business more than 50 years and currently employs 135 people. He said later that employment could reach 150. Manufactured products are sold internationally, and it currently has a 14-month backlog on orders, he said.

Weinmeister said the company is landlocked on 10 acres in Loveland and needs room to expand. If it buys the Wellington property, the company will use at least 35 acres for its own facilities, he said. It could reserve the extra land for itself or sell some acreage to other businesses, he added.

Daily traffic would include employees, five to 10 small deliveries and about five semi-truck deliveries, Weinmeister said.

Town officials noted that the property could be accessed from the south via Cleveland Avenue or from the north via Owl Canyon Road. Town Administrator Larry Lorentzen said that issues of public concern such as land use, traffic and air quality are discussed when the owner applies for annexation.

"We want to thank Bonfire for considering coming to our town," Mayor Larry Noel said after the board approved the pre-annexation agreement, and the audience applauded.

Lorentzen said later that the agreement is similar to what the town did with the Coal Creek Center on Sixth Street south of Cleveland. Bonfire's business will fit in with other light manufacturing in town such as Advanced Tank and Front Range Steel, he said.

"We have to kind of jump start primary jobs," Lorentzen said. The town has about 5,200 residents but only a handful of businesses that employ more than 10 people.

The incentives offered in the pre-annexation agreement include fee waivers for some sewer and water taps and town participation in infrastructure such as sewer and street improvements. Because the property is in an enterprise zone, the town will also agree to waive some property taxes during the first five years. That item alone is worth more than $40,000 to Bonfire.

The fee waivers will expire in 2012 if the property owners do not seek annexation.