The Columbus-Lowndes Development Link is moving forward with plans to recruit industry for West Point and Clay County, securing a deal earlier this week to obtain 10 percent of the resulting tax revenues, with the remaining 90 percent divided between West Point and Clay.
Environmental testing is currently underway on a 1,000-acre megasite in Clay County, trying to get it “shovel-ready” for marketing purposes, Brenda Lathan, vice-president of economic development for the Link, said Saturday.
Marketing Alliance, a Jackson-based marketing firm that specializes in economic development, is working with Tennessee Valley Authority to create a video highlighting key assets of the site, along with quality of life attributes in the surrounding area.
The megasite, located north of West Point on Highway 45 Alternate, is “a tremendous site to be able to market to a prospective industry,” said Cynthia Wilson, director of community development for the West Point-Clay County Growth Alliance.
Though the area suffered a great loss in jobs and revenue when the Sara Lee plant closed in 2007, the infrastructure — specifically water and sewer capacity — is still in place, she said. TVA transmission lines on the site, along with an airport, seaport, and other intermodal transportation, also make the area more attractive to potential industries.
A ready and able workforce is available, with many being among the 1,200 to 2,000 people who lost their jobs during the Sara Lee closure, Wilson noted. And close proximity to East Mississippi Community College’s Mayhew campus will make employee training more convenient.
“If we’re able to locate a quality company on the site, like we have in Lowndes County, it’s going to make a huge difference in West Point and Clay County,” Lathan said. “That’s our goal.”
In April, the Growth Alliance agreed to pay the Link $350,00 a year to recruit industry for West Point and Clay County. The organizations signed a three-year, joint economic agreement, with Link CEO Joe Higgins. While making no promises, Higgins said he believes West Point is well-positioned to attract a $100 million-plus industrial project.
Higgins had expected to hire a recruiter specifically for West Point and Clay County by July 1, but Lathan said that while interviews have been completed, no selection has been made.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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