Rubberlite has proposed building a research, development and light manufacturing center at a brownfield site in Huntington.
The Herald-Dispatch reports that Rubberlite President Alan Letton provided details of the proposal to the Huntington Municipal Development Authority on Tuesday. Letton asked the authority to buy the 27-acre site along the Ohio River.
Brownfield properties are sites that can be redeveloped but have potential environmental issues.
Under the proposal, the authority would buy the land and establish a public trust where it retains ownership and management of the property. Marshall University would buy the required equipment. The purchases would qualify for federal funding.
Letton says Rubberlite would assume the risk of making the center a success. The company also would invest in Marshall’s engineering program.