SANDERSVILLE, Ga. — In three days, Sandersville's city council is expected to meet to consider a deal that would bring a $70 million plant and hundreds of jobs to the city.
We toured the Washington County site to learn more about the pending deal.
According to Sandersville's City Council agenda, a company called Redstone Investment Group wants to build their 200,000 square-foot plant at the Fall Line East Industrial Park.
For the past 14 months, on behalf of a company called Shield Technology, Redstone and Washington County officials have been working to secure the 24-acre site.
Johnston said, "We started a dialogue. They were looking to re-shore American jobs."
Jayson Johnston with the county says, if approved, the $70 million plant would bring nearly 300 jobs to Washington County.
"300 jobs is 300 families. These new jobs will bring in new families, new kids in our schools. You know, that drives more restaurant, more retail. It's just a big ripple effect of economic impact, bringing that many people into the community," Johnston said.
William Craig of Redstone says they plan on making personal protective equipment, including disposable gloves for first responders.
Craig said, "If there is ever a pandemic again, we have direct access to a product that is here. You don't have to import it from other parts of the world. It is here within the United States."
Under the proposed agreement, the development authority would own the site and lease it to Redstone.
Johnston said, "We were competitive in this process with Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, but they chose Georgia."
According to the agreement, the county and Redstone hope to close the deal by next May, begin construction in 2022, and open the plant sometime in 2023. Redstone aims to hire 150 people in the plant's first year and 296 by the third.
The development authority would also provide more than $1 million in incentives. That includes $300,000 in grants to help with site costs and helping to build a rail spur that would serve the plant. Washington County would also reduce property taxes on the plant for its first 15 years.