ODC to get updates

The board of Odessa Development Corp. will get updates on several projects at its Thursday meeting.

The board is expected to hear from Gary Vest, economic development director for the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, on an update on the planned closing of Flint Hills Resources Odessa chemical plant.

According to the board packet for the meeting, a task force recently put together to find a buyer for the plant is working with a local company called Orion on selling a portion of the plant.

Orion has interest in the plant because it uses the plastic the facility produces, City Manager Richard Morton said.

The economic development department has placed a possible textile plant on its inactive list after the company involved announced it is no longer considering a location in Texas.

Rick Carlton, ODC board president, said he doubted any money was spent on the project other than filling out a request for proposal form.

Efforts to reach Vest were unsuccessful Monday.

Other projects the ODC is working on include a medical device company that's considering building an $11 million facility in the area. It would create 173 to 350 jobs with a salary range of $50,000 to $350,000.

Attendees to the meeting, which starts at 2 p.m. at Odessa City Hall's third floor conference room, will also be updated on progress involving the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance. According to the organization's annual report, several parts of the La Entrada al Pacifico Trade Corridor are progressing. They include a Highway 87 reliever route near Lamesa, as well as improvements to the Mexican Port of Topolobampo.