As speculation over the future of the Pooler megasite continues to grow, Gov. Sonny Perdue struck a hopeful tone that something will be done soon with the 1,500-acre tract.

“We’ve been in serious negotiations with some tenants. We believe an announcement is close at hand,” the governor said Friday. “There are some details that have to be worked out. We’re optimistic about that.”

Perdue, who visited the Savannah Technical College campus in Liberty County for a statewide housing and business expo, congratulated the state’s economic development team for landing NCR. The company is uprooting its corporate headquarters from Dayton, Ohio, to the Atlanta suburb of Duluth. It is also opening a manufacturing facility in Columbus, bringing nearly 900 jobs there.

“The last two years, most of the jobs have been created outside of metro Atlanta,” he said. “I’ve been trying to grow Georgia all over. We can’t continue to grow the metro area unless we grow all over.”

Chicken of the Sea also announced last month it is bringing 200 jobs and a $20 million investment in facilities to Toombs County for a canning plant. Effingham County was one of the contestants for the project.

Also last month, General Mills announced it was building a $42 million distribution center, leading to 112 jobs, in Social Circle.

“Our goal is to work with companies to help them identify the best opportunities in the state,” Perdue said. “Our communities are good at putting their best foot forward. Overall, the last two or three years, the Department of Economic Development has done really well with the amount of jobs created throughout the state. We look forward to preparing ourselves throughout this state, once this economy regains its footing, to be at the front again.”