IDB Making Progress

The Jefferson County Industrial Development Board continues to focus on the Roy Messer Highway area in White Pine as a location for future development. Owners of parcels of property in that area have expressed an interest in selling and the Industrial Development Board has taken options to insure that the property remains available, as they access the viability of each site. TVA and Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon have been and will be assisting the Board in their search for useable acreage. The property on Roy Messer Highway involves only a handful of willing property owners to establish enough acreage, between 400-600 acres, to make the purchase worthwhile for the County. Another location in White Pine has also been identified on Bell Road and that location also has limited ownership. Currently, the Industrial Development Board owns no functional property and has been searching for appropriate land for several years. They have requested that property owners interested in selling, large or contiguous tracts of land contact the Industrial Development Board. Though the Board did consider vacant buildings in current industrial parks, none met the charge of the Board. The Industrial Development Board is moving forward with its investigation of the suitability of the already optioned properties. Time is a premium consideration, as the clock is already ticking on the option purchases.

Source: K. Depew, News Director