Through Samsung Austin Semiconductor, the City of Taylor already has a strong connection to South Korea. But now that connection is growing even stronger.
At the May 11 meeting of the Taylor City Council, City Manager Brian LaBorde will give a presentation on a recent trip to Korea attended by Taylor elected officials, during which the city entered into two non-binding agreements with Korean companies for a commercial and residential development project as well as a technology park.
“The City of Taylor was honored to have been invited by Samsung to visit its campus in Pyeongtaek and to tour its semiconductor fabrication plant located there,” said Mayor Brandt Rydell in a news release. “We were excited at the opportunity to meet and forge a friendship with Mayor Jang Seon Jung of Pyeongtaek as we build a close and lasting relationship between our two cities. We also held meetings with several Korean companies that are considering locations in Taylor for their operations.”
According to the city, the trip took place between April 15-22 and featured a delegation of local elected officials, leaders, and executives, including Laborde, Rydell, and Taylor Economic Development Corporation CEO Mark Thomas, Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell and Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles.
“Expenses for their trip were paid for by the Taylor EDC. Other members of the delegation included representatives from the Williamson County Economic Development Partnership and Opportunity Austin.
Mayor Rydell and Mr. LaBorde brought their spouses at their own expense,” officials said.
During the trip, Rydell signed two Memorandums of Understanding with iMarketKorea, a distributor specializing in industrial materials, which is planning to build a Taylor Technology Park for suppliers to Samsung and other industries on approximately 200 acres in the city, as well as Bando Construction, which is hoping to build a major mixed-use residential and commercial development in Taylor.
In addition, delegates had the opportunity to tour Pyeongtaek City, the site of the largest Samsung facility, in order to get an idea of Taylor’s future needs for housing, transportation and other infrastructure associated with the project, officials said.
In other business, the city will also receive a presentation at the meeting from Parks Director Tyler Bybee and a representative of the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture about seven designs created at no-cost to the city for a Recreation/ Wellness Center surrounding Memorial Field submitted by graduate students as the basis for their end-of-semester studio project.
The Taylor City Council regularly meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 400 Porter St. in Taylor. Agendas and live broadcasts are available at http:// www.taylortx.gov.
Courtesy of Williamson County
