by Malcolm Butler
Ruston is making history.
The good kind.
Over the course of the next two years, the City of Ruston will have the top three private investments under construction concurrently.
Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said that roughly $180 million will be spent — give or take a few tens of millions — on three private investments, including Buc-ee’s, Willis Knighton Health Center, and the microchip plant.
The trio rank No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 in the history of the city based off of price tag, according to Walker.
“Buc-ee’s is the largest private investment in the history of the City of Ruston,” said Walker. “This summer, we will break ground on what will surpass it as No. 1 with the construction of the microchip factory. So No. 1 and No. 2.
“Then the construction of Willis Knighton Health Center will join the other two to create the top three largest private investments in the history of the City of Ruston. They will be taking place in a 24-month span. That’s unheard of.”
So why does that happen?
“The city of Ruston passed Moving Ruston Forward and that has allowed us to invest in the infrastructure for these companies to come to our town,” said Walker.
Moving Ruston Forward was passed by voters in 2016, one year after Walker was elected. It is a three-quarter cent sales tax for 20 years that was earmarked for infrastructure projects.
“We told the people of Ruston that we would do $300 million in infrastructure projects within that 20 years and that we would solicit another $15 million in grants,” said Walker. “In the first 10 years of this, we have done over $250 million in infrastructure projects. We still have 10 more years so we could easily hit $400 to $500 million.
“Instead of $15 million in grants, we have already solicited $72 million in grants in just 10 years.”
Walker points to the advancements that Moving Ruston Forward to one of the main reasons the city has seen more than 100 new businesses open in the city during the past decade.
“Prior to Moving Ruston Forward, the city averaged about $3.5 million per year in infrastructure projects which would amount to $35 to $40 million over a decade,” said Walker. “It’s why we can be in Washington, DC or New York City or anywhere, and we run into people who are familiar with Ruston and they ask, ‘How are you doing what you are doing?’
“Without Moving Ruston Forward we wouldn’t have been able to do all of this.”
So while many cities within the state of Louisiana continue to struggle, Ruston does not.
“Any town this size to have those three projects underway at the same time … that’s unbelievable and impressive,” said Walker. “It says a lot about the reputation of our city.”
