A new industrial park in Glasgow with road, rail and air access will complement regional industrial recruitment efforts but is not expected to compete for clientele with the proposed Kentucky TriModal Transpark. We think it will be very compatible with the (transpark), said Ernie Meyers, executive director of the Glasgow/Barren County Industrial Development Authority. Thats because the more available industrial property that a region has to offer, the more likely it is that companies will shop the area while they are looking for land, Meyers said. The more sites in the region, the more likely they are going to show up and look and do business, Meyers said. The Glasgow industrial authority is banking on that theory with its latest endeavor, the IDEA West Industrial Park off of Oil City Road in Glasgow, which is expected to be fully developed by the end of the year. The new industrial park is a 300-acre parcel of land, a 200-acre portion of which is divided in half by a CSX Railroad spur. The park backs up to the newly expanded Glasgow airport, which now has a 5,300-foot runway capable of handling some piston cargo planes and small corporate jets. We dont have any immediate prospects, Meyers said of the new park. However, Meyers expects the air access to be an incentive for attracting industry. While the concept in Glasgow seems to mimic plans for the trimodal park in Warren County, Meyers does not see the two as competing entities. The perception many years ago was that different communities compete with each other for different industries, Meyers said. I hope that were getting to the point where we can think regionally as far as economic development goes. I think the trimodal park is just that sort of development. The Kentucky TriModal Transpark is a planned business/industrial park on the northeast side of Bowling Green that could grow to include 4,000 acres and possibly a replacement airport for the Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport currently located on Scottsville Road. Compared to Glasgows airport, the current airport in Bowling Green is much larger and is capable of handling large jet aircraft, such as the Boeing 737, with its 6,500-foot runway. A replacement airport would have longer runways than the current facility. The Inter-Modal Transportation Authority in Bowling Green oversees the development of the transpark. ITA President Dan Cherry said Glasgows development confirms the idea of the trimodal concept. It validates the concept, Cherry said. It shows not just us here in Bowling Green and Warren County recognize the value of transportation facilities to industrial development. Cherry, as well as Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Margaret Grissom, agreed with Meyers that economic development should be approached regionally. Really in Kentucky theres support industries the provide more jobs than the original plant itself, Cherry said. Thats how economic development gets spread. Its not just one central business success. Its all the support industries. Grissom agreed. Money doesnt stop at the county line. It benefits everyone. Theres money that crosses over each and every one of these counties and thats the beauty of regionalism. The more support there is for industry, the better off we all are. We need a modern facility like the transpark …, Cherry said. But we also need places in the region that have the support facilities.