Riley says state can help with new sewer plant if locals lure industry

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While local officials hope for state and federal help to build a new sewage treatment plant that they say could attract new industry, Gov. Bob Riley says things could actually work the other way around.

In a meeting with Star editors Tuesday morning, Riley said the state government stands ready to assist with any infrastructure it would take to land a significant industrial project in Calhoun County.

At least one official has expressed hope that the federal government will help pay for a wastewater treatment plant to provide more capacity to fuel industrial and commercial development at McClellan and along the U.S. 431 corridor.

But Riley told The Star on Tuesday that things could work the other way around, with the state chipping in to build such a plant, or any other infrastructure a specific industry needs to locate here.

Jim Miller, general manager of the Anniston Water Works, agreed with the governor but said the county could miss out on some prospects if the treatment plant is not in place beforehand.

He said local economic development officials are always trying to land big prospects, but that some companies want to know that infrastructure already exists. Many do their own research ahead of time to pick the best available sites before ever talking with locals.

“They’re going to know what our sewer capacity is,” Miller said. “They look to see if you’ve got it in place.”

Besides luring industry, Miller and others including U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, say the new water treatment plant would help spur residential development in communities such as Lenlock, Weaver and Saks.

Rogers told The Star last week he thinks the project is important for the community, and that local leaders should focus more on accomplishing it.

The governor said while there may be no big industrial prospect on the line right now, he believed Calhoun County was ripe for such a deal. He was in town for a ceremonial groundbreaking on the final phase of a highway project that will provide easy access from Interstate 20 to the former Fort McClellan. He said the former Army post’s 7,000 acres, located between Birmingham and Atlanta, would be ripe for development when the Eastern Parkway is complete.

“If we can’t sell that then, hell, we all ought to quit,” he said.

Contact Metro Editor Ben Cunningham at 235-3542.