County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to allocate $200,000 in SPLOST money toward the construction of a new 2,000-foot-long road into the Sibley Place Industrial Park.
The Sibley Place Industrial Park, currently undeveloped forest land and wetlands, is a 1,500-acre property that the county government has owned since 2016. The property is located just north of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks and south of Allen Memorial Drive along the bypass.
The original plan was to attempt to attract one supersized factory. Over time, however, the Development Authority concluded that the topography and terrain was better suited for smaller industrial parcels.
The vote was 4-1, with Commissioner Scott Little casting the lone nay vote.
“I’m not excited about throwing any more money into that particular piece of property anyway,” said Little at a meeting earlier this month.
Baldwin County previously was awarded a $2 million grant from the OneGeorgia Authority for the road project. The grant included a $200,000 “local match,” and on Tuesday the county commission finally approved the match.
The road project will create a new deceleration lane off the bypass. The road through the property will be divided and built to handle industrial- grade traffic.
Another $1.1 million in federal grant money also was previously secured, which will be used to install water lines and gas lines parallel to the road.
Construction is scheduled to begin at some point next year.
“This process, started shortly after the purchase of the property in 2016, is a lengthy one, but one that will help build the tax digest and create jobs,” wrote Development Authority Executive Director Jonathan Jackson in a press release. “The goal is to continue to build on our strong legacy of diverse industrial and commercial institutions and increase the wealth of our people and our digest. These steps are necessary to help reduce or curb the burden on all Baldwin County property owners by helping keep millage rates in check.”