Consultant outlines economic-development strategy; updates on Georgia Pacific, West Fraser and airport sites

Laura Dibella, a consultant with Adam and Reese LLP, told Taylor County commissioners that the county should focus on short-term, "lower-hanging fruit" while preparing for a larger strategic plan later, and provided site-by-site updates on key properties including the Georgia Pacific plant, the West Fraser parcel, City of Perry acreage and airport hangar space.

Dibella said the Georgia Pacific site is progressing toward cooperative discussions with the property owner and that county leaders should continue preparing for opportunities even though remediation work means the site's sale or redevelopment remains roughly 1½ to 2 years away. She said the consultant team hired Chet Thompson, the former environmental mill manager for the Georgia Pacific mill, to monitor closure activities and that Thompson is delivering monthly reports to county staff.

"This is when we need to act," Dibella told commissioners, stressing urgency to leverage heightened attention and apply for available grants. She recommended pursuing immediate steps that reduce risk and make sites market-ready while reserving a larger strategic plan for a later stage.

On the West Fraser site, Dibella said the property is under contract and expected to close after minor title issues are resolved. She identified the prospective buyer as John Sherrill and described the parcel as an "immediate backfill opportunity" because it already has warehouse space, power and rail, which could allow rapid job creation if a tenant moves in.

The City of Perry acreage is participating in a site-readiness program (described in the presentation as the Duke site readiness path), Dibella said, and staff are working through due-diligence items. She noted one constraint: water is available but wastewater service to that parcel is not currently in place, which will need addressing to reduce development risk.

Dibella highlighted Grant's Legacy and other privately owned parcels, noting active marketing and work toward a foreign-trade-zone designation expected by year-end. She said 4 Rivers has made roughly 3,000 acres available for marketing in the northern county and has indicated willingness to discuss its waterfront holdings with prospective investors.

A major, unexpected finding in the report was potential demand at the Taylor County airport. Dibella said the county will have about 12,000 square feet of hangar space coming available and that aviation-related maintenance, repair and operations users have expressed interest. She said Florida S[?] (identified in the presentation as the current airport tenant) is expected to vacate by March, making the space available by April 1. Dibella called airport development an opportunity to diversify the county's economy beyond wood manufacturing.

Dibella also described workforce and education strengths including North Florida College and Big Bend Technical College, and highlighted the county hospital as a major employer. She said the report catalogs available incentives, federal and state programs, and notes that CDBG disaster grant rounds for Bipartisan Infrastructure Program (BIP) priorities will soon be released — items the county should target.

Recommendations included: continue receiving monthly environmental monitoring reports from Chet Thompson; prioritize site-readiness and retention efforts for West Fraser and the City of Perry parcel; pursue marketing and coordinated grant applications (including CDBG and USDA sources); resurrect a local Small Business Development Center satellite office (the SBDC is affiliated with FAMU and has agreed to return); and add at least two additional properties to the county site-inventory for promotion.

Dibella told commissioners that the TCPA (Taylor County Development Authority) will continue quarterly reporting on business-retention contacts, job creation and capital investment, and suggested tracking key performance indicators such as site development milestones and housing starts to support incoming workers.

No formal votes or motions were recorded in the transcript for this agenda item. The presentation concluded with Dibella opening the floor to questions.

Ending: Commissioners received the consultant's presentation and asked for time to review the full report and the monthly monitoring updates. The transcript records no formal action or vote on recommendations during the session.