{"id":107578,"date":"2015-12-15T21:00:09","date_gmt":"2015-12-16T04:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/city-approves-land-for-jobs-contract-with-osprey\/"},"modified":"2015-12-15T21:00:09","modified_gmt":"2015-12-16T04:00:09","slug":"city-approves-land-for-jobs-contract-with-osprey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/city-approves-land-for-jobs-contract-with-osprey\/","title":{"rendered":"City approves land-for-jobs contract with Osprey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Customers
Customers sort through packs at the annual Osprey sale at the Cortez Plaza in 2012.<\/span>Sam Green\/Cortez Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The city of Cortez and Osprey Packs have agreed to a deal that provides the global backpack company with land for new headquarters if it adds 45 full-time jobs by 2021.<\/p>\n

The contract was unanimously approved by the Cortez City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 8, after months of negotiations, said City Manager Shane Hale.<\/p>\n

The plan includes transferring a $225,000, four-acre tract of land on the northwest corner of East Empire Street and Mildred Road to Osprey, and discounting the purchase price by $5,000 for every new employee the company hires. The agreement requires that each new hire receive an annual salary of nearly $34,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cOsprey is clearly a growing company with a great community ethic, and the city is pleased to enter into a historic agreement that will help to ensure that Osprey calls Cortez home for years to come,\u201d said Hale.<\/p>\n

Cortez-based Osprey plans to build a 30,000-square-foot headquarters on the land. Osprey\u2019s current headquarters are off Industrial Road in Cortez. Osprey\u2019s distribution center is based near Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n

\u201cOsprey has been a good corporate citizen, and we look forward to their expansion in Cortez,\u201d said Mayor Karen Sheek, who added that the agreement would be a great economic driver for the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are really pleased with this partnership,\u201d Osprey co-founder Diane Wren told city leaders last week.<\/p>\n

Osprey CEO Tom Barney declined to comment when reached via email, but he vowed to announce building plans and staff additions when appropriate.<\/p>\n

A site plan for the new company headquarters must be delivered to the city by mid-January. Construction is expected to start in spring.<\/p>\n

The agreement also includes a 50 percent waiver of fees by the city for plan review, building permits and use taxes, meaning the company could save more than $175,000 in initial costs. The city has also vowed to install fiber optic lines on the property.<\/p>\n

Osprey currently employs about 80 people in Cortez, Wren said.<\/p>\n

tbaker@the-journal.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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