As the Effingham Industrial Development Authority forges ahead with plans for the industrial park at I-16 and Old River Road, it’s also working on two other potentially big prospects.
The IDA went over a proposal from Springfield for the transfer of a water permit, but hesitated at language that could have delayed the permit. The water will be used at the I-16 site and is part of Springfield’s excess capacity at its well in the Effingham Industrial Park on Highway 21.
In an intergovernmental agreement approved Tuesday night by its city council, Springfield proposes to close the well at the current industrial park, keeping it as an emergency backup, as soon as any new infrastructure and any single water system becomes operational. IDA officials worried that might mean the permit wouldn’t change hands for up to two and a half years.
“There’s some ambiguity,” IDA Chief Executive Officer John Henry said. “We can’t wait two and a half years to get water permitted at I-16. We need water as soon as possible.”
The construction of a pipeline from Springfield’s well in the city to the Effingham Industrial Park is expected to take two years, after six months of design work. The proposal — which has to meet state Environmental Protection Division approval — calls for Springfield to transfer 150,000 gallons of its capacity to the IDA and another 100,000 to the county. The county would use that capacity in the areas surrounding the I-16 industrial park.
“I think the clearer you are with the EPD, the better off you are,” IDA Chairman Martin Wilkins said.
IDA board members have suggested altering the wording in the agreement with Springfield to read that the transfer of the capacity will take place upon the EPD’s OK. IDA officials are scheduled to meet with the EPD next week to go over their plans to deliver water to the I-16 project.
“Having a meeting with the EPD could help us figure out what we need to put in there,” Henry said of the agreement. “There’s a Catch-22 — you can’t go to the EPD without a contract, and you can’t contemplate an agreement without knowing what the EPD wants.”
Henry also said the IDA has 60 days to put together a work program for the I-16 site for DP Partners. Moreland Altobelli Associates is doing preliminary plans for road improvements and DP Partners is working with their engineers on an access management plan.
“They are working on that diligently,” Henry said.
Henry and project manager Ryan Moore have been working for months on a client known only as Project Supreme and are still awaiting to hear if they have been successful in bringing in a firm that would mean 450 jobs and a $100 million investment.
They also are courting a prospect called Project Sonoma, a Fortune 500 company that could bring as many as 600 jobs and another $100 million investment. Effingham is the only Georgia site being shown to the company as part of a 10-state search.
