Bodo Industrial Park is home to 188 businesses and 2,400 employees who provide the Durango area a payroll base of $115 million a year, the La Plata Economic Development Alliance said in a March study.
The Economic Development Alliance conducted the study of Bodo’s impact as part of a drive to build Durango’s next industrial park. The data comes from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
“One of the things we’re advocating for is to see a new industrial park underway within the next five years,” said Roger Zalneraitis, executive director of the Economic Development Alliance. “An industrial park would be good for our economy.”
Zalneraitis and others said Durango has plenty of office space, due in large part to Mercury’s move last year that vacated 70,000 square feet of office space in the Durango Tech Center. What the area lacks is light industrial space for construction yards, warehouses and other uses, he said.
“I’ve heard of small construction companies that have just closed because they can’t find any space,” Zalneraitis said.
Located in south Durango, Bodo Industrial Park was constructed in the 1970s, and its 172 acres are mostly built out. A few vacant lots remain, including a 5-acre parcel on Girard Street that is owned by the Mapel family.
The Durango Tech Center, off of U.S. Highway 160 west, is in a similar situation. It has a few vacant lots, but not many, Zalneraitis said.
The alliance’s study pointed to several key businesses in Bodo, spread across different industries: UPS, Coca-Cola Bottling of Durango, La Plata Electric Association, Sachs Construction and Ska Brewing Co.
Two other successful businesses, Mercury and StoneAge Waterblast Tools, grew in Bodo locations before moving elsewhere. Mercury has about 400 employees in Durango, and StoneAge has about 100, the alliance said.
The Economic Development Alliance is working with the Durango Industrial Development Foundation to try to obtain a grant to fund another study. This one would look at whether Durango needs another industrial park, and, if so, whether it’s economically feasible given land costs and how large it would need to be.
The alliance will stay neutral regarding any potential locations within the county, Zalneraitis said.
Bobby Lieb, a board member of the Durango Industrial Development Foundation and a former county commissioner, was involved in a now-mothballed plan to build a business park near Durango-La Plata County Airport. He said the Durango area doesn’t need another business park at this time.
“I do not believe there’s enough demand today to warrant a strong market for the project,” he said. “I think it’s going to be there in the future. It’ll recover over time – when is difficult to say.”
There are pockets of demand, including a need for more warehouse and shop space, Lieb said.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
Bodo Park close-up
Number of business: 188
Number of employees: 2,400
Annual wages: $115 million
Average annual wage: $48,200 (15 percent higher than La Plata County’s average annual wage of $42,000
Direct impact to county: $213 million annually
Indirect impact to country: $56 million annually
