Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 21, 1994 TAG: 9405230166
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FLOYD LENGTH: Medium
The reception and groundbreaking ceremony for the building will be held today at 8:30 a.m. at the county courthouse. County Administrator Randy Arno says the building will "put Floyd on even playing ground with other localities" that have built similar structures.
The shell building, which will be adjacent to the county's industrial park on a 4.3-acre lot, is "a proven strategy for attracting new businesses," said Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, who played a major role in obtaining the $500,000 in grant money from the Farmers Home Administration.
"Virtually all the other shell buildings that have been built over the last decade have been leased or sold in a very short time," he said, pointing out that the chances are slim of the building's remaining empty once construction is complete.
The shell building will have 30,000 square feet of gravel floor space and parking for more than 150 cars.
Of the eight companies that bid on the project, Arno said H.S. Williams Co. Inc. of Marion has been the most competitive, but contracts have not been awarded yet. The "skeleton" building, he said, will be ideal for a medium-sized industry that will be "good neighbors" for the county.
"Hopefully, the kinds of jobs [offered] will be skilled and not related to the apparel industry," Arno said. "While [the apparel industry] certainly [has] been good to us, we have about exhausted the labor market for that kind of work."
Arno said as long as the jobs relate to skilled work, the county will explore all types of businesses. The only companies the county does not want are waste companies.
Money for the project has come to Floyd County through the Rural Development Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The county approached Boucher last year about helping pay for the economic development project, and Boucher asked Congress for the funding. The total cost is $535,196. The grant covers $500,000; county taxpayers will cover the remainder.
"The best thing about this project is that proceeds from the lease of the building will be used again in a revolving economic development fund," Arno said. "We can do this again and again. ... To me, that satisfies a long-term objective of everybody."
Arno characterized the economic development initiative as a "regional cooperative effort," involving Boucher; the Farmers Home Administration; and Appalachian Power Co., which donated money to market the building to prospective buyers.
"The objective here is jobs," Arno said. "Beyond that, our objective is to stabilize and diversify our tax base. ... The hard part is to go out and find a good, responsible employer under fair terms."
by CNB