Tri-County Alliance, partners break ground for new industrial park
By DIONNE GLEATON, T&D Staff Writer Friday, May 30, 2003BAMBERG -- Bamberg County is poised to usher in economic development after breaking ground for its own, long-awaited 440-acre regional industrial park site.
Members of the Bamberg County Development Board, the Bamberg Board of Public Works and the Bamberg city and county councils joined the Tri-County Alliance in breaking ground for the CrossRhodes Park Thursday.
Located on U.S. 301 South just past Phoenix Specialty Products, the park is one of two regional park projects being developed by the TCA, an economic development group serving Bamberg, Barnwell and Allendale counties.
"Today is a start, and we're looking for what's going to come in the future," said Bamberg County Council member Johnny Williamson, who also serves as vice-chairman of the TCA.
The TCA hopes to use the site as a transportation distribution center. The CrossRhodes regional park is joined by the TCA's other parks: the 1,640-acre South Carolina Advanced Technology Park in the Barnwell County town of Snelling and the 250-acre Pointe Salkehatchie Park between Allendale and Fairfax.
The park's name was changed from Pointe Edisto to CrossRhodes after Dr. Jack Rhodes and his family agreed to sell their land for the betterment of the county. The alliance is purchasing 50 acres and has options on the remaining acreage which fronts the four-lane highway.
"They have a real care and concern for the community of Bamberg County. They know that we need the land for the project, and that's why they cooperated with us. Without their cooperation, we couldn't have done this. I had known Dr. Rhodes for a long time. I went and visited with him and explained to him the need that we had, and he was very understanding," Williamson said.
Teaming with the Bamberg Board of Public Works and the Bamberg County Council, the alliance is seeing to it that the CrossRhodes Park will have infrastructure in place within the next 120 days.
The BPW moved forward in March of 2002 on plans to construct wastewater infrastructure at the new industrial park site with $2.7 million awarded in tobacco settlement funds.
The BPW, the Bamberg County Development Board and the TCA were awarded $2,677,320 in tobacco settlement funds, a portion of which was used to run three miles of wastewater lines from the city of Bamberg to the park. Water lines and the installation of lift stations were also provided through the settlement funds.
The BPW already had water lines running in front of the CrossRhodes park and own and operate all the water and sewer lines at the South Carolina Advanced Technology Park.
"It's been a team effort. We're very proud of what's happening here today," said BPW board Chairman Bob Clary, who also serves as a TCA board member.
Bamberg County Councilman Jasper Varn said the team effort didn't cost Bamberg County "one red penny." Having served as a TCA board member since its inception, Varn said he was proud to be standing on what started out as a vision for Bamberg County.
Along with the tobacco funds, the alliance received another $258,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to construct roads and signage at the CrossRhodes park. St. Matthews-based Porth Construction was awarded the construction contract and has begun work on the project.
"I'm hoping that this is just the beginning ... we know some things are in the making," said Bamberg Mayor Alton McCollum, who thanked the TCA for their dedication to the project.
A long-awaited agreement on how the tax revenues from the SCAT Park will be split between the three counties has been hammered out, with 50 percent going to Barnwell County as the host site. Bamberg and Allendale counties will each receive 25 percent of the tax revenues generated from the park.
TCA President Danny Black said time is now being invested in recruiting more jobs and industries to the area.
"We're about the business of recruiting new jobs and industries to our region. We're developing CrossRhodes and our other parks to provide even better opportunities for all of our citizens," Black said. "Economic development and creating a product attractive to potential industries doesn't happen overnight. Through the vigilance and teamwork invested by the alliance, our three member counties and our partners, we fully expect to begin reaping the fruits of these labors in the near future," he said.
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