Lawton town hall meeting slated Oct. 11 to answer questions about Westwin Elements

Lawton economic development entities have slated a town hall meeting Oct. 11 with Westwin Elements.

Members of the Lawton Economic Development Authority, Comanche County Industrial Development Authority and Lawton Economic Development Corporation, along with the City of Lawton will be the hosts for a question and answer session set from 6-8 p.m. at McMahon Memorial Auditorium, 801 NW Ferris. All four entities are part of local efforts to support Westwin Element’s proposal to build a cobalt-nickel refinery in southwest Lawton.

Officials said Westwin Elements administration and local officials will be at the meeting to answer questions about the refinery and its impact on the community. The meeting is open to the public.

Local officials and Westwin Elements broke ground on a 40-acre tract in August, the proposed site for a $10.6 million pilot plant that is to provide the data necessary for a bankable feasibility study, the document that is necessary for banks and investors who will participate in the plant project. The tract is located on 480 acres south of the Goodyear plant, acreage that that has been pledged to Westwin for its full-scale refinery project.

Westwin Elements CEO KaLeigh Long has said design plans for the pilot plant are done and she expects to break ground in October and meet the March 1, 2024, completion deadline. The City of Lawton and Comanche County Industrial Development Authority agreed earlier this summer to release $3 million of the $24 million local incentive package for the pilot plant project.