By Ryan Lewis
Correspondent
JASPER, Tenn. – When stimulus money was available to local governments to assist with economic development, there were no projects in Marion County that met the qualifications.
Officials said those untapped funds reverted back to the state.
Recently, South Pittsburg’s Royal Remanufacturing Inc., a company that remanufactures soda machines, approved an expansion plan that made the company eligible for some of those dollars.
“I think they started out with about 40 jobs down there,” Marion County Mayor Howell Moss said. “Since then, they’ve been extremely successful. They are now pushing 90 employees. They are about to have an expansion on the site they’re on right now.”
Economic Development Assistant Director Rick Layne, who is with the Southeast Tennessee Development District, said it’s likely the county can get some of the money back from the state to help with Royal Remanufacturing’s plans.
“The state tells us that they expect to have some excess funds left over that we can tap into once all of the state projects have gone through,” Mr. Layne said. “We need to get everything lined up so we will have an application for those funds ready to submit to them.”
If the county gets the grant money, it would help install a much-needed sewer system at the plant while the expansion is under way, officials said.
Mr. Layne said one of the steps required for the project’s eligibility is for Marion County to be declared an “eligible recovery zone.”
He said there are five criteria to meet the state’s recovery zone requirements, and a county has to meet only one of those standards to be eligible.
“Marion County easily meets the unemployment rate criterion because the county’s rate is higher than the state average,” he said. “It also easily meets the poverty rate criterion, because it is higher than the state average, as well.”
The resolution to declare the county an eligible recovery zone unanimously was approved by county commissioners.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.
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