Posted: 5:43 PM Jun 12, 2012
Reporter: Elsa Bolt
Email Address: elsa.bolt@wbko.com
Video can be found here:
The Bowling Green Corvette Plant is getting a makeover as it gets ready to create the next generation corvette.
“The enthusiasm, the excitement, the energy around this new car, those of us associated with it, it’s off the charts,”says Dave Tatman, the Plant Manager.
Some elected officials were given a tour of the 131 million dollar construction project Tuesday, before the plant closes to the public on September 14th.
The plant is currently constructing a new pretreatment building as well as a body shop that will have 89 new robots.
The changes will create 250 jobs, which officials say will do wonders for the community.
“One new job at the Corvette Assembly Plant may create as many as seven jobs through out the community, with retailers and service providers, so it’s an extraordinary benefit to the community,” says Warren County Judge Executive Mike Buchanon (R).
The plant is also changing their lighting system in hopes of helping the environment.
“We’re switching to these fluorescent bulbs that are more energy efficient and they give us a better light for everyone to work under,” says Jon Andrews, the body shop launch manager.
“It’s great that a big international company such as General Motors takes pride in preserving the environment and doing things to make sure they’re not having a large impact on the environment when they’re producing such a fine automobile,” says State Representative Jim DeCesare, (R), District 21.
During the event, ownership of the Bowling Green Corvette Assembly line was also officially handed over from the city to the plant.
“We purchased bonds from the city, 30 year bonds, that matured on May 1st 2012. Now at the time, because we were buying the bonds from the city, the city owned the plant so up until today, the city owned the plant,” says Tatman.
“One of those little technicalities was that they had to pay off the deed for a dollar so I came out to collect the dollar,” added Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson.
The Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant and the General Motors Foundation also gave out 10 thousand dollars in donations to several organizations, including Friends of Lost River Cave, the Public Theatre of Kentucky and the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra.