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And then there were two.
Harley-Davidson said late Wednesday evening it will either move to Kentucky or stay put in Pennsylvania when the company ultimately decides the fate of the York vehicle operations later this year.
Harley said in May it was considering moving its York County facilities elsewhere because they are not cost-effective, citing work rules and the overall structure of the facilities, some of which date back decades.
Subsequently, the company named sites in Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky as possible relocation sites.
It then quickly eliminated Kansas City, Mo., where it already makes motorcycles.
Wednesday's announcement eliminates Shelbyville, Ind., and Murfreesboro, Tenn., as well.
About 2,000 manufacturing workers, who would lose their jobs in Springettsbury Township if the company leaves, and the York community await that final decision.
Harley-Davidson spokesman Bob Klein said Wednesday the Kentucky choice came from various factors, from site selection to available workers.
He said he could not get into details about the choice, including pros and cons, at this time.
According to the released statements, Harley executives met with officials in Kentucky this week to discuss further plans.
Klein said that both this week and during the past months, Harley has met with officials from the state's governor's office as well as legislators and local officials.
But Klein also reiterated the preferred
Negotiations between Harley and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 175 continue in York as another step toward keeping the plants in York County.
Tom Santone, directing business representative for the the union's District 98, said he had heard Wednesday night about the company's alternative site choice.
He said he is not surprised the company has narrowed its choice, considering the weeks of study and talks about the alternative sites.
The alternative sites were unveiled in August.
Santone said the union is continuing to work on a new contract.
A person who answered the phone at the Shelby County Industrial Foundation, an economic development group in the area Harley is looking, said no one was immediately available to comment on the development.
Efforts Wednesday evening to reach officials in Indiana and Tennessee were also unsuccessful.
According to The Sentinel-News, the local newspaper in Shelby County, Kentucky, authorities there have been talking lately about Harley - or some large business - possibly moving into town.
The president of a local college system, Michael McCall, of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, recently pointed to Harley as a reason to maintain strong education infrastructure, according to the newspaper.
He also encouraged people to rally to make sure the college system received adequate funding. McCall is quoted as saying that the college system would strive to provide low-cost training to workers if and when Harley moves to the area.
Earlier, the newspaper reported the Shelby County Fiscal Court voted in favor of a zoning change to a large piece of property nearby from agricultural to industrial.
Officials said there was a prospect in mind when they made the change, although they did not directly name the prospect.
ABOUT SHELBYVILLE, KY.
Shelbyville, Ky., is a town of about 10,000 people between Louisville, Ky., and Lexington, Ky.
Compared with the others previously on the possible relocation list, the area appears to be the most rural, with Shelbyville, Ind., described as a suburb of Indianapolis, and Murfreesboro, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville.
At the time Shelbyville was named to Harley's list, Marshall Long, a retired Kentucky state senator and vice president of the Shelby County Industrial and Development Foundation, described the area.
He said Shelby County's proximity to Interstate 65 and Interstate 64 and its large swaths of available land, complete with utilities, have helped attract major companies to the area.
Within the past two decades, large corporations such as Ledco Inc., a manufacturer of interior doors, have opened operations in Shelby County, he said.
