Old IP sawmill property to become industrial park

In what is being hailed as "a new day" for Wilkes County's economic development, the 123-acre International Paper property has been purchased by the Washington-Wilkes Payroll Development Authority, clearing the way for the industrial site to become a competitive and marketable industrial park which can house new industries - and bring new jobs.

"It's a new day for Wilkes County. This gets us back in the game," said PDA Director David Jenkins. "We now have the capacity and the flexibility to meet the needs of new industry to locate here, and bring potentially hundreds of jobs."

The PDA had sought to purchase the abandoned sawmill property for years, and when International Paper finally opened the door to the purchase, the Authority was able to get at $350,000 OneGeorgia grant to close the deal. The grant was awarded in July.

With only 13 acres remaining free in the Washington-Wilkes Industrial Park, the addition of 90 to 100 acres with railroad access and full utilities onsite makes the county far more attractive to industries. In fact, Jenkins said, there are companies that have been waiting for this purchase to go through. "We have statewide partners who have been waiting to bring prospects to see the site. I just talked today to a state agency that has a prospect who is very interested."

The PDA is doing preliminary design work to lay out a variety of sites at the park for different prospects. Cleanup of the overgrown site will begin immediately so the site can be shown to prospective industries.

The new industrial site is particularly attractive because a rail siding runs the entire length of the property, making it possible for more than one industrial site to have rail access.

Another advantage is that water, sewer, and power are already in place. "Other counties would have to spend millions getting the infrastructure we already have in place," Jenkins said. "We got a good deal, so we can make a good deal with interested companies." The OneGeorgia grant is an equity award designed

to assist communities in building the necessary infrastructure to support development, and Jenkins says Wilkes Co. is taking full advantage of the opportunity.

"This is not only a chance to bring needed industrial jobs to Wilkes County," he said, "it's now an opportunity for industries to make a terrific deal on a new location in a region with a trained, skilled workforce. This is a win-win situation, and I can't wait to show off the new industrial park to prospective companies - and they're lining up to come see it."