NEWPORT, Ind. — A military contractor has announced plans to start up operations at the Army’s Newport Chemical Depot in western Indiana that could bring up to 500 jobs.

Valparaiso-based Telic Corp. officials said today they planned to open an administrative, manufacturing and development center at the depot next year.

Telic is the first business to announce plans for the depot site, which for decades produced and stored a deadly nerve agent. The depot is winding down operations after destruction of its VX stockpile was completed last year.

* From today’s Indianapolis Star: Newport is expecting good job news; announcement today linked to site of former chemical weapons depot *

A local reuse board has been working on a plan to open about half the Newport depot’s 7,100 acres to potential business development.

The new jobs, from laborers to scientists, will average $37 an hour. The plant will make a variety of products from decoy flares to grenade components.

Gov. Mitch Daniels said Indiana is carving a new niche in businesses related to the military’s operations with today’s announcement and the redevelopment of Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville, Ind., and the former Fort Benjamin Harrison on the Indianapolis Northeastside.

“This is just as much of a magic moment that we can hope for,” Daniels said. “We are showing in Indiana that we know how to fight a recession.”

Telic says it provides security, mechanical and engineering support services for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan.

On its Web site, Telic touts a number of previous contracts:

>For the Navy, the business provided services to design, layout, operate and manage a chemical demilitarization facility.

>For the U.S. Department of State, Telic provided construction project control services in Iraq.

>For SAIC Inc., Telic designed and fabricated developmental countermeasure equipment used for the manufacture of aircraft decoy flares.

The company also has signed contracts with the Coast Guard, the Veterans Department, the General Services Administration, the Department of Energy and General Dynamics.