Mt. Pleasant---Think of the Foxconn construction project as a long freight train: You see the engines but the end might be out of sight.
That might be an apt analogy as contractors prepare to begin work on the first building for the 1,2000 acre site in Mt. Pleasant. The 90,000 to 100,000 sq. ft. building will serve as a launching pad for other structures on the site.
Adam Jelen, a senior vice-president at Gilbane, Foxconn’s generator contractor, says the rest of the project will go up in phases, with plenty of built-in flexibility. "It (the process) will be fluid but it will also be disciplined," Jelen said this week at a session for potential Foxconn subcontractors and suppliers. "So disciplined in the short term. Fluid a little bit on the longer term vision with a series of projects over the long course of time. It will continue to change as technology changes"
For Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave, the measure of uncertainty doesn't equate to a lesser commitment. "I've been involved with the leaders of Foxconn for almost a year," Delagrave said. "They mean what they say. I wouldn't want to be in this partnership with anybody else. I think the proof is going to be in the pudding. You're going to see a transformative project and once that happens I think people are going to be very excited."
The Taiwanese company is promising a $10 billion complex that'll employ 13,000 people.
-0-