Community Center to complete construction this year

Special to the LPR
The 130 Environmental Park’s Community Center is targeting the third quarter of this year for
completion. According to Alfonso Sifuentes, Director of Public Sector Services & Community
Relations, “The approximately 5,000-square foot building will be available for community use to regional Chambers of Commerce, city councils, county commissions, church groups, and other non-profit organizations.”

The Center will also be built in an area surrounded by environmentally green zones that will remain undisturbed throughout the life of the facility. In addition, and to fully capture the landscape, the Community Center will overlook a maintained reservoir situated in a natural habitat consisting of a diverse group of local animal and plant species.

The Community Center is part of 130 Environmental Park (130EP), an IWSG company. 130EP is
a mixed-use development of more than 1,200 acres in northern Caldwell County that includes a
Type 1 Municipal Solid Waste Landfill, Transfer Station, and a citizen’s drop-off location for the
free disposal currently being offered to all of Caldwell County. 130EP is located adjacent to the
SH 130 Toll Road and just a little more than five miles from downtown Lockhart.

The Community Center is not the only much-anticipated development making news at 130EP. Recently, Ardesia, a global leader in Green Energy, became the first company to announce their plans for 20 acres out of the approximately 100 acres of the Plum Creek Business Park (PCBP). The project was introduced at the March 28 Caldwell County Commissioners Court meeting, where Commissioners approved the related Ardesia Storage Project Reinvestment Zone and Tax Abatement Agreement. PCBP, which is located on the northeast corner of the intersection of the 130 Toll Road and FM 1185, is a Green Group Holdings development.

According to Green Group President David Green, the Plum Creek Business Park will continue to target other light industry and manufacturing companies that are compatible with the surrounding land use. “Our vision is to partner with Caldwell County and bolster the local economy with additional tax revenue and good paying jobs,” Green said.

Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden noted the Ardesia Project will include a battery storage
facility with nameplate capacity to store and transmit 100 MW of electricity. The multiple pods
of batteries planned will be fire protected.

“It will store it off grid, and in times of peak demand like winter storms or high demand in the summer, it will provide power back to the grid when it’s needed,” Haden said.

Haden also noted that the Ardesia investment would benefit the entire area, stating “The court
finds that he designation of the proposed zone would attract major investment in the zone that
will be a benefit to the property included in the zone and would contribute to the economic
development of the county.”

The entire 130 Environmental Park Team is excited to be a part of the vision that was presented to the community many years ago and stands behind the commitment to continue to be a good partner in the county.