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Construction shows growth in Jackson
Mayor Richard Long, speaking at an "Alabama Communities of Excellence" (ACE) committee meeting recently, detailed some of the growth. The ACE program is an involved series of steps to prepare a community for long-term growth and development and Jackson is on its way to earning the coveted designation. Long noted that when the initial ACE meeting was held last year, one of the criticisms about the city was the "eyesore" of the old National Guard Armory at the intersection of Highway 43 and College Avenue. The eyesore is gone, he said, replaced by a new Walgreens pharmacy that is now under construction. He detailed other developments since the ACE program started including New Era Cap's expansion of its manufacturing facility and Gulf Lumber's reopening of the closed Boise sawmill. Evergreen Transportation is working on a new trucking terminal on Highway 43 that will include a Mc- Griff Tire store.
The latest addition is the confirmation by Sonic that it will locate a fast food restaurant in Jackson. Long said Sonic has signed an option on a piece of property on College Avenue. A new Jackson Police Department is being constructed adjacent to city hall and the Alabama Department of Transportation has committed to a center turn lane for Highway 43 in north Jackson. All total, the developments mean about 400 new jobs for the Jackson area, the mayor said. In addition, the city's sales taxes are up 13 percent from March of 2006, indicating that more people are spending their money in the city. Long is also optimistic that a new mega steel manufactuer ThyssenKrupp will locate a new mill at Calvert, 35 miles south of Jackson. The $2.9 billion facility would work 2,700 people. Twentynine thousand construction jobs would be created over the next three years and as many as 52,000 indirect jobs would be created. The impact on Jackson would be tremendous and Long said the city has met with developers to formulate a plan for the city should ThyssenKrupp pick Alabama over Louisiana. An announcement is expected within a few weeks. "Jackson is on a major 4-lane U.S. highway just north of the site and we will experience tremendous opportunities from the project." said Long.
"We have the infrastructure to attract and service these opportunities but this will greatly increase the demand for housing, hotels, restaurants, and other service industries. Jackson and Clarke County are now experiencing many new opportunities but this will be a significant life changing opportunity for all of the citizens of Clarke County," the mayor observed.
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