Bondurant has added two certified sites to its economic development arsenal, city officials announced Thursday.

City officials were joined at City Hall by Debi Durham, executive director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, for the announcement. They said the two new certified sites offer more than 200 acres of what Mayor Doug Elrod called “prime project-ready land.”

The state started the certified site program to provide shovel-ready sites for commercial and industrial development. Elrod said the program is “an extremely important piece to us in our economic development efforts.”

“The certified site process provides an opportunity to make shovel-ready sites, and time is money,” he said. “A business can come in here and get to work, and the quicker they get to work the better off they are, the more profitable they are. It’s just a good win.”

Watch a clip of Elrod’s remarks about the importance of certified sites:

The addition of two certified sites brings the city of about 8,700 people to four total certified sites.

Durham said that Bondurant’s tally leads the state and that the city is living up to its vision statement of being a welcoming place for both business and people.

“And that is our goal at the Iowa Economic Development Authority, to create opportunities where both businesses and communities can thrive and to raise the standard of living for Iowans,” she said.

Durham said Iowa has attracted more than $2.2 billion in its certified sites since the program started 10 years ago. More than 10,000 acres have been certified with thousands of jobs created, she said.

Watch a clip of Durham’s remarks about the history of the certified site program:

Bondurant’s first certified site in 2017 led to the development of an Amazon facility. Since then, the city’s commercial and industrial valuation has increased by 829%, with approximately 3,500 jobs created, Elrod said.

The sites announced Thursday are owned by Don and Cheryl Timmins and Jamie Myers.

The Timmins Industrial Park is 187.74 acres along Interstate Highway 80 and adjacent to a new water tower that is under construction. It is also near a planned I-80 interchange. Its three lots are designated as light industrial.

Don Timmins said that it took a couple of years to get the certified site process done, and that “it will take time to find the right buyer, but it’ll happen, we’re in no hurry.”

Myers, who owns the Bondurant Business Industrial Park Plat 2, said Bondurant officials have been forward thinking in working to attract the best opportunities for development. The nearly 80-acre site, along U.S. Highway 65 on the city’s northeast edge, is zoned medium industrial and is ideal for manufacturing and assembly companies, officials said.

“It’s always, how can we solve a problem … it’s always, how can we help you and how can we get it done,” Myers said. “I’m looking forward to breaking ground.”