The town of Cowarts is applying for a $100,000 grant to build an access road for a new industrial project and wants the county to provide a required financial match by helping build an access road.
The town is readying a Community Development Block Grant application with assistance from the Southeast Alabama Regional Planning & Development Commission, to construct an industrial access road for Project JJ, a 25,000-square-foot manufacturing facility to be located on U.S. 84 East in Cowarts.
In accepting the grant, if it is awarded, the town would be required to provide a 20 percent match, which it is not financially able to do, said Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Parker.
To keep the project moving, Parker asked Houston County Commissioners on Thursday to provide grading and site preparation on the road which would meet the match requirement. County officials estimate their cost at about $25,000.
“We’ve been working the last three months to help the town with this manufacturing operation,” Parker said.
If the town receives the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs block grant, it will have to be advertised. Officials estimated the county could begin work in late November or early December. The road construction would also have to be bid.
While rain during those months could delay some of the work, Parker said the manufacturer wanted to be in by April.
The project, unofficially announced in August by way of an earlier site work request, is a $2.3 million investment that will bring up to 40 jobs with a payroll close to $1 million over a three-year period. The company has not been identified.
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