TELL CITY – Louie Heitkemper, president of the Perry County Redevelopment Authority, said that body met Nov. 14 to consider a request from the Perry County Development Corp.

The News was unable to attend the meeting, but contacted Heitkemper later.

Bruce Tesch, Waupaca plant manager, said last week some of the valley in front of the plant will be brought up to grade to make room to add 120 parking spaces. Plans also include the creation of 15 diagonal-staging lanes like those seen at some weigh stations along highways, which will give truckers space to await their turns to approach the plant to load or unload materials. They now line up along the road into the plant.

Tesch said material going into beneficial-use road-construction and agricultural projects will be used to bring the land up to grade. In discussions earlier this year about a proposed monofill elsewhere in the county, another company official described the material as foundry sand to which a premium-grade coal has been added. It’s used many times in foundry processes before being discarded, he said.

The redevelopment authority owns the 120 acres on which the foundry sits and leases it to the county’s redevelopment commission, which leases it to the company, county attorney Chris Goffinet explained at a July redevelopment-authority meeting. Tesch said the work will be done on 10 to 15 of those acres.

The plan is to separate truck traffic from customers and employees, the manager said.

“We need a better flow of traffic in and out of the plant,” he said. “There are too many trucks and cars in close proximity.”

The redevelopment authority owns the land supporting the foundry and leases it to Waupaca.

A paved, lighted and marked helicopter pad will also be added and will be available for county use, Tesch said. The plans still need approval by the state departments of environmental management and natural resources. He hopes to have permits in the spring, then expects the project to take approximately two years to complete.

“We’re always expecting to grow,” Tesch said when asked if the plans are intended to facilitate increased business.

“Anything Waupaca wants to do to expand” is welcome, Heitkemper said.