A large brick display at the entrance to the South Industrial Park in Eatonton holds several signs announcing some of the businesses located at the SIP.

Christopher Nunn, com­missioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, recently announced the approval of $446,552 in OneGeorgia Equity grant funds to the Putnam Development Authority.

Approved on June 20 at the OneGeorgia Board meeting, the funds will assist in preparation, access road and site infrastructure improvements within the South Industrial Park in Eatonton.

“The purpose of the project is to clear, grade, extend utility access, and design and construct an access road into the South Eatonton-Putnam Industrial Park in order to create a 50-acre Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) certified site,” said PDA Director Terry Schwindler. “The project is expected to be complete in late 2019.”

According to Carter & Sloope Consultants, the engineers who have been working with the PDA and Eatonton Putnam County Water and Sewer Authority to overhaul the SIP’s water and sewer system, making the additional improvements along that route maximizes the PDA’s investment by allowing develop­ment along the western bypass corridor.

The SIP is 500 acres of commercially zoned property, of which the PDA owns 121 acres with access to Georgia Power Electric, AT&T fiber optics, a 10-inch water main, 8-inch sewer main and 2-inch gas main.

Some of the due diligence already completed at the SIP includes a phase 1 environmental site assessment, wetland delineation and flagging, threatened and endangered species study, archeological and historical study, aerial topo survey, and conceptual site plans.

“We are looking forward to starting soon on this expansion of the South Industrial Park,” said PDA Board Member Joshua Daniel, of Towable Tailgates. “With the completion of this GRAD-Certified Site, we will be able to place Putnam County on the radar with the State’s economic development team when they are assisting businesses looking to locate in Georgia.”

Because of the SIP’s location, any business that does land the property would be eligible for several tax incentive programs. Some of Putnam County’s incentives include the HUB Zone Program; the national EB5 visa for immigrant investors, and the Less Developed Census Tract (LDCT) job tax credit that qualifies new or existing businesses to receive a maximum job tax credit of $3,500 per new employee for five years.

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