The Putnam County Industrial Development Board officially closed its agreement with Perdue Wednesday morning following the company’s departure from Monterey.
Perdue has paid by check and returned the signed enforceable bonds for the property. Chairman Dr. Bob Bell said the board does not need to take any future action with Purdue.
“That’s a happy outcome for the project,” Bell said. “We wish Perdue was still here, but at least they closed out their IDB agreements in good faith. So we’re in good shape there.
The Chamber’s Amy New said she hopes to bring in a new tenant to the now vacant facility. New said there are already great videos and pictures of the plant, which can aid in attracting a new business.
“Perdue has obviously hired a broker from their side to help market specifically to the food and, I mean, everything from human food to dog food industry,” New said. “So we’re hoping at some point we’ll have a project for that site.”
Perdue closed the plant in March, resulting in the layoffs of 433 employees. With the closure, the IDB prorated all of Purdue’s expenses to the date in which their list was terminated. Those expenses involve payments in lieu of taxes, used to recruit businesses to the community.
