Authority receives OneGeorgia funds

LAKE PARK -- On Tuesday, Gov. Roy Barnes presented a check from the OneGeorgia Authority for $201,578 to Ken Garren, executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority, for the development of a 23-acre business incubator site in the Lake Park Industrial Park.

"About two years ago, one of the Lowndes County commissioners thought that because of the successful incubator site in the Azalea City Industrial Park where the Food Bank is, we could stimulate something by doing an incubator site in Lake Park," Garren said.

After identifying an area in the park which would not interfere with the larger developments, Garren said they had it engineered to determine the cost of extending the infrastructure to the eight sites, each between two and four acres.

The Authority received an estimate of $340,000 for the water, sewer and roads project and decided to file a grant application with the state for the funds.

"We tried to get it all from the state," he said. Now that a portion of the funds have been provided through the OneGeorgia Authority, Garren said he is in discussion with County Manager Joe Pritchard and County Engineer Charlie Clark to see if the county is interested in helping provide the remaining amount needed to develop the site.

The OneGeorgia Authority uses the state's tobacco lawsuit settlement proceeds to fund projects. Twelve communities received a total of $5.1 million in grant and loan awards through the program this week.



To contact Business Editor Kay Harris, please call 244-3400, ext. 280.