DeTour Village has been awarded a $31,000 grant from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development to help with construction costs associated with the new business park, the DeTour Area Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced Thursday, April 10.

This is the third grant that the DeTour community has received from Rural Development for use in its effort to provide a site that will not only help in attracting new businesses to the area, but also provide a place for existing businesses wishing to expand, EDC Chairman William Schultz said.

The business park will include large lots, village water and sewer, electricity, and high speed Internet service. Many individuals from the community have worked hard to keep the project moving forward, Mr. Schultz said.

The DeTour Area Economic Development Corporation was established in 2003 to promote economic growth in the DeTour area.

To accomplish this goal, those involved recognized the need for a business park, and a cooperative effort between DeTour Township and DeTour Village helped in purchasing 33 acres on M-134, close to DeTour Village, for the purpose.

In 2006, the site was cleared and the preliminary engineering begun. In 2007, the business park entrance was completed and more detailed engineering was done.

In 2008, the corporation reported, the plan is to finish putting the road and utilities in and begin selling lots.