Walker County officials meet with Noble residents concerned about new plant

Residents from the Noble community in Walker County inspect a sample of the plastic resin pellets that will be manufactured at the new Audia International plastics plant that is being built directly across U.S. Highway 27.
Residents from the Noble community in Walker County inspect a sample of the plastic resin pellets that will be manufactured at the new Audia International plastics plant that is being built directly across U.S. Highway 27.

LaFAYETTE, Ga. - About 25 people came to Center Point Baptist Church last week to ask Walker County officials about all the construction across the street.

Members of the Noble Neighborhood Association said before the June 22 meeting that they had plenty of questions about Audia International, the Pennsylvania-based plastics manufacturer that will begin operations across U.S. Route 27 later this year. David Boyle, president of the neighborhood association, said some neighbors didn't appreciate the county keeping them in the dark while it recruited Audia.

photo Residents from the Noble community in Walker County listen as David Boyle, president of the Noble Neighborhood Association, talks about the new Audia International plastics plant that is being built off of U.S. Highway 27.

Up until last week, some people in the last neighborhood didn't know what the company did.

"The community had no information," Boyle said. "All we knew was that it was chemical-related, related to plastics."

So, when the group met with Walker County Development Authority Executive Director Larry Brooks, they asked how the plant will affect their lives.

"What kind of noise can we expect?" one person asked.

"What kind of traffic will there be?" asked another.

"What are the plans for landscaping?"

Brooks and Virgil Sperry, another development authority member, tried to calm any fears. They said the plant will be quiet, and the construction process right now will be the loudest part of Audia's operation.

Brooks said traffic will increase as semi trucks haul into the plant, but the Georgia Department of Transportation will install a traffic light at the entrance - eventually. Once Audia is operating, GDOT will conduct a study to see how many cars drive past it. This is a formality, giving the state government a concrete reason to spend money on a traffic light.

Sperry said the landscaping also will look nice once the construction on the plant finishes. He said the county needs the entrance to the plant to be attractive to recruit more manufacturers to the industrial park.

"It only makes good sense," he told the crowd.

Sperry, who said he has worked in the plastics industry since 1970, overseeing plants in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia during his career, explained to the neighborhood association what Audia will do. The company is a compounder, he said. It will melt plastic pellets, mix in additives to change the plastic, then give them to other companies that need the altered plastic.

For example, he said, Volkswagen needs plastic under the hoods of its cars to be stronger than normal plastic. The company also needs its plastic to withstand hot temperatures. Audia can manipulate the plastic pellets to fulfill Volkswagen's needs.

Audia is still in the process of building its plant, which will feature 21 silos when finished. Construction workers only received their second silo Tuesday. Still, Brooks said the manufacturer expects to open its doors at the beginning of next month.

Brooks isn't confident.

"I don't think we're going to make Aug. 1," he said, "but God brought down the walls of Jericho. We're saying our prayers and keeping our fingers crossed."

Boyle said members of the neighborhood association also are concerned that the plant may damage the environment.

Sperry said the group should not worry, that the type of work Audia does will not harm the environment. Brooks, meanwhile, added that the company already has to comply with Georgia Environmental Protection Division requirements.

He also told the group to expect more neighbors in the years to come. He said he and representatives of a company "related to Volkswagen" flew above the industrial park in a helicopter about a month ago, showing those representatives where their company could build in Walker County.

"There are a lot of people who are interested," he said.

Boyle asked what would happen if Audia left, sticking Walker County with an empty plant. Brooks said that won't happen, and that Audia has poured about $70 million into this investment.

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at tjett@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.

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