The Pierce County Industrial Development and Building Authority (PCIDBA) recently discussed and/or voted on the following during the regular monthly meeting held on July 9.
New IDBA board member: James Weathersby of local eateries Southern Roost and Hog’n’Bones, was recently announced as the new industrial development board member officially appointed by the county to fill the seat left vacant by the departure of Dave, formerly CEO of Memorial Satilla Health. Weathersby could not be present for the announcement due to a conflicting schedule but is reported to look forward to bringing his business perspective to the group.
Lease change to solar farm: IDBA Executive Director Matt Carter reported that a lease change was pending on county land leased to a solar energy concern. Inman Solar requested all documents be updated to Inman Solar Holdings. The new lease was unanimously approved by the board after a very brief discussion. The change reflects the solar farm owners formation of an LLC or limited liability corporation. Legal counsel for the IDBA board reported there would be no significant changes that would affect the county’s liabilities.
GRAD certification: Carter announced that the industrial park’s GRAD certification should soon be complete. “Hopefully in the next one to two months we’ll have the reports on the core samples and soil types ready,” said Carter.
Partnership update (Pierce County): County Manager Raphel Maddox delivered an update of recent events to the PCIDBA board. Maddox said that the county would be moving forward with the FLOST initiative and citizens will be able to vote for or against it this November. The money generated from FLOST would be used to roll back the millage rate of the county rather than used for roads or infrastructure projects.
The county will also be coordinating with FEMA on reimbursement for debris pick up. The numbers provided by the county need to be updated after FEMA informed the county that some money was being left on the table.
Several new road projects will be gotten under the way using TIA funds after the bidding process is finished.
Partnership update (Chamber of Commerce): Chamber of Commerce Director Christi Pitts was at a training conference on Jekyll Island July 7-10, so chamber Vice President Stephanie Bell delivered a brief update.
The chamber will be working with the Rec Department and T-Mobile to conduct an August 23 “Back to School Splash” event that will also feature elements helping kids understand and participate in emergency preparedness.
Monthly Business After Hours events will resume in September.
The chamber will soon announce details on upcoming training courses centered around helping small business owners understand and better use artificial intelligence as a tool.
Finances: The PCIDBA’s June financial statements were unanimously approved with no comments or questions.
Grow Southeast Georgia (Grow SEGA): Except for the coastal counties, the Grow Southeast Georgia organization which the board recently unanimously voted for Pierce to join has now grown to comprise 10 counties. When Pierce voted to join the only other member were Appling, Bacon, Clinch, Coffee and Ware Counties.
Park signage: Reliable Rolloff, which is located in the Pierce industrial park, recently approached Carter about signage near Highway 84 to draw attention to their business. Carter said he had reached out to Kim Warnock of Adams Warnock, owners of the rail spur property, to explore options for placing the signs, but has not yet explored prices or quotes..
Closed session: The IDBA board went into a 15 minute closed session. The topic under discussion was personnel. No action was taken.
Next meeting: The PCIDBA will hold its next meeting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, August 6 in the Chamber of Commerce boardroom, located in Blackshear’s Historic Train Depot.
