Columbus County agrees to buy former Jobs Foundation tract for $700,000, board plans site study and links MOU to Golden Leaf grant

Columbus County’s Board of Commissioners approved a $700,000 purchase of a former Jobs Foundation/Carolina Blueberry Group property and authorized related site-development steps during its regular meeting.

County Manager Manning told the board the county negotiated the purchase with the bank that holds the property after foreclosure and that the county will become the owner of record once the sale closes. “You are correct. The county had no ownership of the 64 acre tract that is currently held by the First Bank of Virginia,” Manning said, explaining the county did not participate in prior sales or deed restrictions but is buying the tract now.

The board was told the purchase will be paid from Article 44 sales tax revenue, a county-designated fund for economic development and public education. Manning said the bank is contractually obligated to clean greenhouse structures and that the seller will retain possession for up to six months after closing to allow the bank to sell high‑tunnel greenhouse equipment and clear the site; the contract includes that cleanup requirement.

Why it matters: county officials said the tract, together with an adjacent 38‑acre parcel the county previously approved for water and sewer work, creates a larger site for recruitment and potential development. EDS Director Dylan Bowen described an MOU with the Jobs Foundation as a Golden Leaf requirement tied to a site-development grant of $590,000 for the 38‑acre parcel, and the MOU was approved by the board.

Board members asked that county engineering staff prepare a preliminary layout and site plan so the county will have options ready when it takes full control. “I think it would be very wise at this point to have our engineers take a look at it and do a preliminary plan for the site,” Manning said. The manager and EDS staff indicated they will pursue potential grant funding for site improvements or a spec building for a future user.

Discussion vs. decisions: the board’s vote authorized the purchase and the MOU; it did not adopt a specific redevelopment plan. Commissioners sought assurances that cleanup would be completed and asked that engineering and economic‑development staff do preliminary planning and pursue grants.

Votes at a glance: the board voted to approve the purchase contract (motion passed) and separately approved the MOU with the Jobs Foundation (motion passed). The meeting transcript records motions and a recorded outcome of “motion passed” for both items but does not provide a roll‑call vote tally.

Next steps and conditions: county staff said the bank will be given six months’ access after closing to remove and sell greenhouse equipment and to clean the site; the contract includes that stipulation. County staff also indicated they will withhold funds or otherwise enforce the cleanup provisions per the purchase agreement if the seller does not complete the required work within the agreed timeframe.

Details omitted or not specified in the meeting: the transcript does not specify the exact acreage after combining the parcels, an expected timetable for closing, or the full text of the contract’s holdback or enforcement provisions beyond the six‑month possession period and the cleanup requirement.