A recent meeting at the Leesburg Industrial Park has led to the discovery that the park has fiber optic cable, which has been a concern previously discussed among commissioners.
Commissioner Shane Wilkin said a site visit on Tuesday was conducted as part of the process in getting the site certified, which would put the Leesburg Industrial Park “on a short list” and make it more visible to companies searching for an industrial site.
That the park has fiber optic capabilities, Wilkin said at Wednesday’s meeting of the Highland County Board of Commissioners, will save the county nearly $50,000.
An environmental site assessment remains “the only other big-ticket item” in getting the site certified, Wilkin said.
Getting these things accomplished, he said, is “at least going to get us more looks and more opportunities.”
Last year, the industrial park was among sites in the county that were surveyed by South Carolina company InSite as part of a program known as Community Economic Development Academy (CEDA), which was sponsored by AEP.
InSite representatives, as well as Leesburg Mayor Danny Daulton and the village’s fiscal officer, Tracy Evans, were a part of Tuesday’s site visit to the industrial park.
On another matter, commissioner Jeff Duncan reported that work on replacing the roof at the Justice Center has been hampered by rain, but progress is being made.
Duncan also reported that a construction meeting was held recently in regard to replacing the exterior of the Hi-Tec Center with metal siding.
A $74,700 bid for the work was accepted by commissioners at a previous meeting. At that meeting commissioners noted that the exterior repair is necessary due to water intrusion issues.
Duncan said the contractor anticipates beginning the project within the next couple weeks.
Commissioner Tom Horst reported that railroad crossing repairs at Leesburg’s East Street, which is part of Greenfield’s rehab project on its rail spur, should be completed this week.
In other business, commissioners accepted the $175, 800 bid for the HVAC system at the Hi-Tech Center, following the review of the two bids opened at last week’s meeting.
The current HVAC system, Horst said, has been in place for more than 30 years.
Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.
