Residents throughout the county have heard rumors regarding a warehouse operated by Amazon being established in Rock Springs -- rumors that may hold little truth to them.
Both Green River City Councilman Gary Killpack and Rock Springs City Councilman David Halter both said they were told the e-commerce giant was looking to expand into Rock Springs, with Killpack saying the rumor he heard focused on the company using the former Halliburton building on Blairtown Road as its warehouse. Laura Leigh, the Rock Springs City Planner, said she had heard rumors as well, but had not seen anything submitted to the city.
Kayla McDonald, economic development specialist for the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition, said she had been asked about the rumor several times recently, but said a conversation with the realtor attempting to sell the building had led her to believe there hasn’t been interest shown in the property.
“It’s not true,” she said. “There haven’t been any inquiries from Amazon.”
The Halliburton facility is one of 25 vacant properties listed on the SEDC’s website, many of which were once operated by oil and gas companies. The SEDC list does not provide a comprehensive of all the available industrial properties in the county. McDonald said Sweetwater County has the highest inventory of vacant facilities originally operated by oil and gas companies in the state.
McDonald describes this situation as both a blessing and a curse because many of the buildings are ready to be occupied and only require a company to move their equipment inside to start operations. However, the challenge is the fact these facilities are so large, they would only be attractive to specific industries, which limit their appeal.
At more than 226,000 square feet and including three buildings, McDonald said the former Halliburton facility would be a prime location for a manufacturing or warehouse-type operation.
If development occurs in the Middle Baxter Road area near the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport, companies would have an abundance of choices if they sought to come to Sweetwater County.
McDonald said SEDC is working with a site selecting agency to find companies suited for the area, which include e-commerce warehouses. McDonald said the study SECD conducted didn’t identify Amazon specifically as a company that could build a warehouse on Middle Baxter Road, saying other retail giants may be interested due to the area’s proximity to Interstate 80.
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