A $4.4 million sanitary sewer expansion in south Bibb County could lure big business beyond the up to 640 jobs pledged in two recent industry announcements.
During its June 4 meeting, the Macon Water Authority accepted a $4.4 million bid from RDJE to install more than 10,000 linear feet of new sewer pipe ranging in size from 12 inches to 30 inches.
Phase 1 includes the area between the Allen Road pump station and Allen Road, with Phase 2 continuing on to Barnes Ferry Road.
The authority is working in conjunction with the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority to jointly pay for it by drawing money from the 704 Fund that allows the two authorities to buy and develop land for industrial use under a tri-party agreement with the county..
Once the authorities sell the land to a new business or industry, that purchase price goes back into the revolving fund for future projects.
For this sewer extension, the water authority will contribute nearly $2.4 million, with the remaining more than $2 million coming from the revolving 704 Fund created in 1999. The fund takes its name from the $704,000 annual cap on what the water authority can contribute.
Currently, businesses north of Liberty Church Road and east of Ga. 247 cannot access sewer service, and having lines run can be a “pretty expensive proposition,” MBCIA attorney Kevin Brown told the Macon Water Authority’ board at its May meeting.
“Economic development is really about controlled development,” Brown said. “You can’t make things happen. We don’t create jobs in the private sector, but create the atmosphere so that those jobs can be created and so those companies can expand.”
This extension also will give land owners the opportunity to connect to the line at their own expense, including homeowners relying on septic tanks.
Phase 2 of the sewer extension ends near the site of the Unified Defense plant expansion on 30 acres off Barnes Ferry Road. The $100 million construction project is expected to produce annual tax revenue of about $600,000 and bring up to 500 jobs.
At its June 1 meeting, MBCIA agreed to formulate a memorandum of understanding for the sewer infrastructure extension with United Defense, doing business as Prince Service & Manufacturing. The plant is expected to use up to 12,500 gallons of water per day, according to the Development of Regional Impact, or DRI report.
MBCIA Executive Director Stephen Adams credited that expansion to the 704 Fund.
“That has allowed for us a creative way to enhance the sewer capacity in that area, that was the spark, and what allowed that project to happen,” Adams said. “That also ties in with the expansion, the Phase 3 investment that Irving Tissue made, and so it’s nice to see some of that hard work come to fruition, generating this infrastructure in a way that allows for these businesses to expand right here in Macon-Bibb County.”
With the county’s industrial parks filling up, Adams also praised the recent creation of the Mid-Georgia Gateway Joint Development Authority formed through a partnership of Peach, Houston and Macon-Bibb counties.
Representatives of the local governments, development authorities and MBCIA agreed to work with the State of Georgia to market more than 1,500 acres of land in Peach County for economic development.
“We are very fortunate. Peach County has an over 1500-acre mega site that we do not have access to here in Macon-Bibb County, so the ability to be able to partner with our neighboring development authority, I think, is ripe for some good things to come in the pipeline,” Adams said.
MBCIA also agreed to sell 30 acres near the airport to ArcelorMittal Building Solutions for $2.1 million. The Luxembourg-based company manufactures steel panels in 14 countries and plans to invest $57 million in a new Macon manufacturing facility to employ up to 70 people in an initial phase, with a $50 million future expansion planned to potentially double the amount of jobs.
On its website, the company touts “its insulated panels combine structural strength, thermal efficiency, and fast installation, helping customers reduce construction time and energy consumption.”
On June 22, the company is scheduled to appear before the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission to seek approval for a tank farm to store raw materials of potentially hazardous chemicals Polyol, Isocyanate and Pentane, according to the P&Z application.
ArcelorMittal wants to build eight 10,600-gallon tanks to store the Polyol and Isocyanate and a 12,500-gallon underground tank for the Pentane.
Macon Water Alliance budget shortfall
Board members of the nonprofit Macon Water Alliance learned last week that a budget deficit nearing $20,000 is possible if they can’t raise more money.
The subsidiary of the Macon Water Authority takes in roughly $12,000 annually from employee and customer donations. In April, the Alliance gave $27,000 to organizations that assist customers with their bills.
Late last summer, the authority board learned the $5,000 the Alliance awarded the Macon-Bibb County Division of Family and Children Services in July of 2024 was depleted in a matter of months.
Alliance members opted to increase DFCS funding to $7,000 and awarded the Macon-Bibb County Economic Opportunity Council $20,000 to assist those in need with bill-paying.
As of the June 4 meeting, the financial statement of cash on hand through April 30 shows a nearly $2,500 loss for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, but that deficit is expected to rise with roughly $15,000 in annual Kids Fishing Derby expenses that the Alliance owes the authority.
This year, sponsorships raised about $16,000, which did not cover the $21,000 spent for the free fishing event, which has been a spring staple for more than two decades.
The Alliance does have a certificate of deposit of more than $200,000 that is maturing, so they will cash that in to pay off the derby debt, and will likely redeposit the remaining balance to keep earning interest.
That CD produced about $7,000 in annual interest over the last year, according to the Alliance’s financial statement.
MWA Finance Chair Dwight Jones, who contributes to the Alliance but currently is not a board member, warned the sustainability of the organization is at risk if expenses continue to exceed revenue.
In addition to providing funds to assist with water bills and qualified plumbing repairs, the Alliance supports environmental education and solicits donations and other funding to enhance STEM education.
Advanced Manufacturing Pathway opening
Some Macon high school students recently got a letter from Mayor Lester Miller inviting them to get hands-on work experience by joining the new Advanced Manufacturing Pathway.
The program offers 17 hours of college credit before graduation, and an opportunity to land a job earning about $50,000 a year.
At MBCIA’s June meeting, board member Cassandra Washington, Bibb School System’s director of Career, Technical and Agricultural Education, or CTAE, and CEO of W.S. Hutchings College and Career Academy, said the inaugural program begins in August and has already filled up. They also are hiring two instructors for the recently completed Innovation and Technology Academy in the old Butler automobile dealership off Eisenhower Parkway, just across Rocky Creek from Central Georgia Technical College, which is a partner of the new pathway along with the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce.
“We have all the equipment in and it’s being set up, so we’re very excited about that,” Washington said.
Chamber President Jessica Walden told MBCIA board members that marketing the Advanced Manufacturing Pathway is an integral part of the Choose Macon 2030 initiative along with Future Workforce Fridays where students will visit local businesses.
“It sounds like we’ve got our work cut out for us, because we have got jobs we’re going to need to fill, and I’m actually really excited,” Walden told the industrial authority.
— Peyton Anderson Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
