Henry County, Tennessee will receive a $100,000 dollar grant from the state for site development of a former clay mining operation.
The 410-acre property has been dormant since 2003. The previous clay mining plant named Southern Clay was owned by American Colloid. The majority of the clay mined in Henry county was used for kitty litter manufacturing.
The site has been surveyed by The Tennessee Economic and Community Development Department as one of the top properties for an industrial park in the county. Rob Goad is Executive Director of the Paris/Henry County Industrial Committee. He says the property has rail access, natural gas lines, and three phase power.
“We just don't have any industrial park space, and that seems to be an issue throughout the Northwest Tennessee region,” said Goad. “So, 400 acres that is rail served with all the utilities adjacent or on the property is a pretty big deal.”
According to Paris/Henry County Industrial Committee’s research, not having an area for industry to move into Henry county has potentially cost the area over a billion dollars in investment opportunity.
Goad said, “the total number of jobs and capital investment that we've missed out on is roughly about $1.5 billion in private capital investment, and the number of jobs is in the thousands. We missed out on those because we simply do not have enough industrial park space.”
The state announced the grant last week and the contract is expected to be completed this week.
Before the site is purchased, state funding will allow Henry County to conduct various studies on the site. These studies will include water evaluation and archaeological digs, to determine if there are any Native American or historically relevant artifacts on the site.
Goad said, “Obviously we don't want to develop if there are historic elements buried.”
The compaction survey process is expected to take up to 8 months.Goad said he hopes a new park will bring new manufacturers, new industry, and help support the service sector and retail economy in Henry County.
