|
Lowndes aerospace park sees regional backing |
|
Sunday, 20 September 2009 |
By PAUL SIMS
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
An aerospace park planned for property around the Golden Triangle Regional Airport will be marketed internationally once several pieces of the project are in place, an economic development official said.
Joe Higgins, CEO of the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link, says that when one takes a look at what industry sector will improve the region’s average income, its stature and provide other added benefits, “the aerospace cluster just kind of pops.”
A number of communities have agreed to a memorandum of cooperation and collaboration which outlines the region’s assets and endorses the effort.
Those who have or who officials anticipate will agree to the deal include Lamar and Pickens counties in Alabama; Noxubee, Monroe, Oktibbeha and Lowndes counties in Mississippi and the communities of West Point, Starkville and Columbus.
The GTR Global Industrial Aerospace Park will consist of between 2,500 and 3,000 acres, with portion of it being part of the former Crossroads megasite – of which PACCAR is using a portion – along with new property west of GTRA, Higgins said.
The property will be next to a commercial airport, Mississippi’s third busiest behind Jackson and Gulfport, Higgins said.
“Those types of companies tend to be very good corporate citizens,” he said, noting aerospace firms pay $40,000 annually and higher.
Five to six years ago, there were no aerospace jobs in the Golden Triangle region, Higgins said.
Now, there are some 700 to 800 jobs in the sector and the region is “working our way to a 1,000,” he said.
Officials are working “to secure funds to put critical water and wastewater infrastructure around the site.
As far as marketing, we’re going to be commissioning some very high profile marketing pieces and working in partnership” with the Mississippi Development Authority and the Tennessee Valley Authority to market it, Higgins said.
If officials can secure all the property for the park, obtain the infrastructure funds and get all the region’s communities on board, then “we will start preparing these marketing materials go to the London Air Show and make sure these major aerospace companies know what we have,” he said.
The City of Starkville approved the collaboration agreement Tuesday and MSU has agreed in principle, as have Oktibbeha County officials, Greater Starkville Development Partnership President and CEO Jon Maynard said.
Maynard says he anticipates the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors will take up the agreement for consideration Oct. 5.
“It’s a great asset for the region. It reinforces the high-tech nature that Mississippi State University brings to the region,” Maynard said. “Lowndes County taking the leadership on this allows communities throughout the region to benefit from their investment.”
Maynard says that as unmanned aerial vehicles and “other advanced developments in aerospace come to fruition, this region will be at the forefront of growth in this industry.
With the Research Park and semi-conductor businesses located in Starkville, we can focus on the electronics and other research and development of the aerospace platforms.
When asked what this will mean from a practical standpoint locally, Maynard said: “This can mean the attraction of many high-tech, high-paying research and development jobs and advanced manufacturing. If we, in Starkville, focus on the components and allow for large-scale manufacturing in the Aerospace Park, we will carve our own niche in regional economic development.”
Regarding regional cooperation, Maynard says there’s a history of it, “particularly with the GTR Airport. This Aerospace Park represents the next step in creating the Golden Triangle as a regional economic development unit.”
|
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 21 September 2009 )
|
