New ODC Member Sworn In

Jim Breaux said he wanted to join the Odessa Development Corp. to give back to the community.

"A concern I have is to effectively and efficiently use the money that the board has," Breaux said.

Breaux, who handles oil well manufacturing and repair with Pemco, was sworn in to the five-member board at Thursday's meeting. He replaces Bob Glast on the board.

"I just want to put forth an effort and bring a positive impact to the business community," he said.

Breaux was also appointed to the enterprise zone committee Thursday.

Also at Thursday's meeting, economic development director Gary Vest said an Ohio company is looking at building on 19 acres in the Odessa Industrial Park. The oil-related development would hire between 60 and 100 workers.

"It really looks good," he said.

Vest said discussions with Summit Power on building on the Penwell site once set aside for FutureGen are moving along. The company is interested in building a $2.5 billion plant that would convert coal to synthetic gas.

While Vest has encouraged officials to write letters to the Texas Public Utilities Commission to encourage it to allow for more transmission line construction, he said the Summit might start work even before the lines are approved.

"They're ready to pull the trigger," he said.