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EDC says site-development work is complete; $400,000 could be reallocated to market the Exit 60 site
Summary
The county's economic development director reported site development invoices are complete and estimated that roughly $400,000 remains from the grant to fund signage, temporary access and further engineering to attract industrial users; staff also flagged traffic and utility constraints at the Exit 60/Mines Road area.
Mister Reese, delivering the Economic Development Commission report, told commissioners the site-development grant work is finished, invoices have been submitted and the county likely has about $400,000 remaining to spend on site improvements.
Reese identified likely uses for the leftover funds: updating the large billboard on the site, constructing a temporary access road to improve viewing and site visits, and paying for more detailed engineering (e.g., designs for a hypothetical 100,000-square-foot building) so the county can move quickly when seeking new manufacturing or logistics tenants. "So now that all that work is complete, we've got all the invoices in, it's still we're gonna have probably around $400,000 left over that we could spend on that grant," Reese said.
He also described active property transactions at the Exit 60 area and said staff had conversations with the South Childs Utility District and Fayetteville Public Utilities to confirm water-demand assumptions for an initial pilot project. Reese cited TDOT traffic data when discussing infrastructure constraints, saying the most recent counts show about 25,000 vehicles per day on the Interstate 65 corridor and roughly 12,000 northbound; he warned that the Highway 64 intersection currently lacks a turn lane and that approaching traffic growth will likely require further work with TDOT on the exit geometry.
Why it matters: The county's ability to market the Exit 60 site hinges on finishing targeted improvements and coordinating utilities and highway access. Reese said preliminary interest from a company he identified as 'Project Lincoln'—a wiring/infrastructure manufacturer—remains active but companies are evaluating multiple properties.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about site location and ownership. Reese confirmed the Mines Road parcel is beside Adien (near where a major fire occurred previously) and explained that Project Lincoln is evaluating the site among others. He recommended pursuing additional engineering and signage updates to improve marketability and to be prepared for further grant applications or development incentives.
Next steps noted in the meeting record included staff follow-up with TVA site-development partners, utility districts, and TDOT as engineering and marketing steps are developed.
