PEMBROKE TOWNSHIP — The 22,000-square-foot Nestlé building sits on 10 acres off East Central Street in Hopkins Park.

Pembroke Township owns the building, which has sat vacant for nearly 20 years after Nestlé Foods closed its operations.

When there is talk of economic development and bringing jobs to one of the poorest townships in the state of Illinois, it often focuses on the Nestlé plant.

“It’s a great building. It’s structurally strong,” Hopkins Park Mayor Mark Hodge said during a recent visit to the plant on the village’s south side.

A native of Pembroke, Hodge remembers growing up when there were businesses such as a meat market, general store, barber shops, restaurants and taverns.

He sees that coming back if a proposed bill in the Illinois Legislature to provide natural gas to parts of Pembroke passes and is signed into law.

“The right company with the right resources can take our economy to a whole new level,” he said. “We’re looking at least two shifts.”

There were more than 100 workers when Nestlé ceased production.

Newly elected Pembroke Township Supervisor Sam Payton, who will take office May 17, is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I’m sort of reluctant to talk about it,” Payton said. “I have to wait until I look at paperwork to see if there are any leases or agreements in place.

“It’s good to think positive,” he said. “I want to get people back to work.”

Officials have said a company can come in and restart the plant, or the space could be used as a business incubator.

The 43-year-old plant was also referred to in a recent visit by Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and other state and local officials.

They discussed landmark legislation signed by the governor that expanded economic opportunity in Illinois.

“The Nestlé plant can be a good accelerator,” Fred Carter said during a news conference.

Carter and his wife, Dr. Jifunza Wright-Carter, co-founded Black Oaks Center in 2006. It is a nonprofit with the goal of equipping youth and families with the skills of sustainability to be lifeboats in times to come, according to its website.

<strong>The unknown</strong>

More than a decade ago, a $2.35 million rehab of the old Nestlé plant in Hopkins Park was completed. The facility was remodeled to include 14 suites and a conference room, with plans to offer bargain rents for business startups.

Conceived in 2006 and completed in late 2010, the plant was renamed Power Center. But, nothing came to fruition. It remains shuttered today, padlocked from the outside.

Economic Alliance of Kankakee County President and CEO Tim Nugent agrees with Hodge’s assessment that the facility will need rehabilitation.

Mold is one issue as the heating and air conditioning systems have not run in some time.

There is also the fact that the 17,000-square-foot warehouse is minus its original two docks which were removed during the rehab.

<strong>A starting point</strong>

Nugent said the plant is a good spot, hoping that a local company in the eastern part of Kankakee County or in nearby Indiana finds the plant a good fit.

“The natural gas pipeline checks one of the boxes,” Nugent said of the pending legislation.

There is still the need to bring broadband service and fiber optics to the area, he said.

Location to interstates and state highways is among the top items companies are looking when considering a move.

Hopkins Park is 18 miles to the east from Interstate 57. It is also 31 miles to the west of Interstate 65 in Indiana.

The township is served by four Kankakee County highways. Highway Route 2 connects with Illinois Route 17, which is 7miles north and west of Hopkins Park.

Nugent said every community in the U.S. is looking to bring industry and new business to a community.

“No matter what, it has to fit what a company is looking for,” Nugent said. “You cannot predict an end user. It has to be the right fit.”

Nugent is quick to say he is not being negative about bringing business and jobs to the area. Those jobs could very well come from renewable energy like wind farms and/or solar farms, he said, adding that the pipeline can help with that.

Nugent made it clear the long journey to get natural gas to the area is as close as ever to happening.

He says when that day comes, another long journey starts with economic and community development.

“Don’t get expectations too high, but this is a step in the right direction,” Nugent said.

“There are a lot more steps on the start of that journey. It is not going to be a 360-degree turnaround,” he said. “This is just phase one.”