Possible industrial sites across Clay County will be evaluated by the state after the county announced as one of three counties statewide to participate in the state’s Property Evaluation Program.
The evaluation advises counties on what industrial site improvements and investments will be most beneficial. Clay County Chamber of Commerce Director Doug Young said the county is looking forward to receiving professional assistance.
“This is a consulting firm, and this is what they do for a living,” Young said. “They are professionals at it. They know exactly how to come into Clay County, and look at our sites, and make recommendations as to what we need to do to promote them.”
Young said attracting industry is a major need for the county. Young said he believes participating in the program is the first step in the county attracting a major industry.
“We have one of the highest unemployment rates around,” Young said. “We need to get some good industrial jobs in here that will be able to put our people to work. We lost a big industry back in the 1990s, and here it is 35 years later, and we still haven’t really recovered from the loss of that big industry. Very difficult in these rural counties, small rural counties, to get industry to come in and locate there. Hopefully, this consulting firm will help us get our sites ready and be able to attract industry into Clay County and put our people to work.”
Counties are chosen for the program based on their need for industrial properties. Young said location is a major challenge that Clay County faces when it comes to attracting industry.
“It seems that most of the industry of late wants to locate within about 10 miles of an interstate,” Young said. “So we’ve got to have some real lucrative property to get them to come over as far as we are.”
Young said the county has one industrial site that is being prepared. Young said there will be a truck route going around Celina that will be under construction next year, which will go across the industrial site.
