THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 2, 1995 TAG: 9508010097
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WINDSOR LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
Thanks to a ``highly competitive'' $445,000 federal grant aimed at creating jobs, Isle of Wight County's new industrial park may be ready for occupancy by the end of 1996, Economic Development Director Lynn Harris has announced.
The grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce on July 14, will be used to build the infrastructure needed to attract businesses to the 92-acre, county-owned industrial park on U.S. Route 460, just east of Windsor, Harris said. This includes extending sewer and water lines to the sites and building roads through the industrial park.
According to Harris, Isle of Wight County qualified for the grant because of its high unemployment rate - 8.5 percent - at the time she applied last year. The county's rate now is 4.8 percent, only slightly above the state average of 4.6 percent.
``Job creation is the primary focus of this grant,'' Harris said. ``We are trying to find places for our youth to stay home and work in Isle of Wight County. Of course, the second goal is to increase revenue for the county.''
The park, zoned light industrial, has the potential to host about 20 businesses, most of them on five-acre parcels, Harris said. If construction begins in early 1996, businesses could begin selecting sites later that year, she said.
But little can be done until the industrial park's infrastructure, most importantly sewer and water, is in place.
``Although we could temporarily locate smaller businesses on septic tanks, we can't fully develop the park until we can provide an intercepter that will allow for unlimited waste-waster capacity,'' Harris said. ``A large, central sewer system is critical.''
Work on the sewer can't begin until approval is granted by the Hampton Roads Sanitation Department, Harris said, which is working to acquire easements to lay pipes through the city of Suffolk into Windsor. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Lynn Harris
Economic development director
by CNB