Big things for Ben Hill
County receives grad status for 54 acre land plot
FITZGERALD, Ga. – The City of Fitzgerald and Ben Hill county is primed and ready to welcome a major business to the area as the Georgia Department of Economic Development has approved a major plot of land with select status.
According to Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Development Authority Director, Jason Dunn, this 54 acre plot of land earned the Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development Certification…
Which means that the highest bidder for it will be able to break ground on it in the future.
“We have accomplished all of the due diligence materials that a typical manufacturer would have to complete before building on a site, such as that and creating new jobs,” said Jason Dunn, Exec. Director, Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Development Authority.
In addition to the plot of land on Jacksonville Highway receiving select status for development, there’s another boost to the local economy as well…
Alongside the certification from the State means the County will be spending six million dollars for infrastructure improvement in Fitzgerald.
“We’re making some sewer improvements and some extensions in our sanitary sewer lines to get them to the site. We’re also making a substantial investment in our land application system, which will allows us to safely process the processed water for manufacturing and food and beverage processing projects,” said Dunn.
And of course making this 50 plus acre site a viable spot for a large business also means another plus…
In the form of more local jobs being created in Ben Hill county.
“We’re all fighting, we’re all competing to create family sustaining jobs and careers. And with that too, we’re also working hard to make sure we have the resource for our existing industries to grow,” said Dunn.
When the time comes for a company to break ground on this plot of land, it’s sure to continue helping put South Georgia on the map as a major business site.
“Mainly members of a group called ‘locate South Georgia’. There’s 20 counties that are marketing this area very diligently as a globally competitive place to do business. We’re seeing a lot of success in our communities such as Albany, Bainbridge, Thomasville, Valdosta, Cordele…” said Dunn.
While no major businesses could be disclosed at this time, the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Development Authority is optimistic about the economic future of the area.
The Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Development Authority says that the grad status speeds up development time for a business by six months up to a year and a half.
Brian Roche reporting.
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