When Ron Jones, Rol-Vac president, needed to replace existing manufacturing space for his company, he wanted to stay in the local area. Rol-Vac, LP, a producer of vacuum metalized films for food packaging and other industries, had been operating in the Killingly area as either a stand alone company or part of a large corporation for 25 years. While their customer base is nationwide, their 40 employees were all living within a 10 mile radius of his existing facility. Jones felt it best to continue the presence in the Killingly area to stay with the people who had helped to make the business successful.
Rol-Vac worked out a lease arrangement for 48,000 s/f on a build to suit facility with 207 Tracy Road Associates, LLC, the owner of The Park at 207. The company had purchased the property in 2005 and received approval for this 48,000 s/f building as well as a second 30,000 s/f building.
The Park at 207 is located on Tracy Rd. in (Dayville) Killingly and is one mile north of Exit 94 and one mile south of Exit 95 off Rte. 395. The facility is built within two miles of Rol-Vac's prior location, which kept employees' commutes reasonable. Additionally, one of Killingly's bicycle and walking trails is alongside Tracy Rd. This allowed a safe place for employees to walk or ride at lunch.
The facility that resulted from the lease discussions is 240 ft. wide by 200 ft. deep with minimum bottom of steel clearance of approximately 25 ft. The building has four truck docks as well as a 14 ft. by 14 ft. ground level door for equipment delivery into the space. 41 parking spaces were assigned to the building. 207 Tracy Road Associates also provided 2,400 s/f of office space custom designed to Rol-Vac's requirements. Additionally, the roof loads and orientation were calculated to allow for future installation of PV solar panels on the roof in anticipation of improved payback on these installations in the future.
The property is in an industrial zone. Also, it is in a secondary recharge zone for one of the primary aquifers in Killingly. Therefore all drainage was designed to recharge the aquifer rather than run off site. One dozen of the parking spaces required by the zoning were built in a permeable manner to reduce the hard surface (impermeable) footprint.
The pre-engineered building was purchased from Northern Building Systems of Dalton, Mass. and erected by The Erectors, LLC of Plainfield. 207 Tracy Road Associates contracted all other subcontracts in the local market. By using local suppliers, 207 Tracy Road Associates was able to keep the cost of the facility in line so that it could be financed in the current market. RBS Citizens provided the financing for this and the second building in the park. Also, help with ongoing expenses comes from Eastern Connecticut Enterprise Corridor tax credits for property and machinery.
Lease terms were for an initial 10 year term with a 10 year renewal. This stabilized the investment for both parties in the lease. As part of the construction process, the machine bases for the metalizers were constructed before the slab. All electrical service to the machines were provided underslab as well as the domestic water service. Wherever it was practical, the construction schedule was designed to allow the tenant provided functions to be supplied before the building was completed and turned over. Using this approach, the fit up costs for Rol-Vac were reduced since areas were intentionally left open to allow their personnel and contractors to proceed in the most efficient manner possible.
The resulting facility improves the material flow of the operation and is therefore more efficient. Additionally, the new layout allows Rol-Vac to grow their business substantially using approximately the same square footage as the prior facility.
Perhaps the most unique achievement for both Rol-Vac. LP and 207 Tracy Road Associates, LLC is that they were able to keep a manufacturer in the local area and perform this in a cost effective manner. Tracy Road Associates is currently seeking a tenant for the 30,000 s/f space in The Park at 207.