Fort Madison, IA – Lee County and the State of Iowa are combining on a $5 million incentive package to lure a well-known company in the wind power industry. Siemens wants a new factory for manufacturing wind turbine blades and is looking at several sites around the country. One of those is the former Wabash National building between Fort Madison and Montrose. The state's share of the incentive package is $2 million. The rest of the money will come from local and private sources. Lee County Economic Development Group Executive Director Lowell Junkins says the incentive package would help pay for a new rail line to the site and other infrastructure improvements. He says the company would also spend millions of dollars renovating the factory, which would employ around 260 people in jobs that pay $19 per hour. Junkins hopes to learn the company's decision within the next few weeks.
Incentives Offered for Wind Blade Plant
