Go to the homepage for the Sylva Herald and Ruralite

EDC to tour asphalt plant

By Rose Hooper
The Economic Development Commission of Jackson County will hold its regularly scheduled meeting Monday, June 18, at 5:30 p.m. at the Nantahala Power and Light Building.

On Tuesday, June 19, the EDC will tour Harrison Construction Co.'s asphalt plant at 10 a.m. EDC Chairman Tom McClure said the tour will be the first step in an investigation to determine the economic impact of asphalt plants on the county.

At the EDC's May meeting, Jackson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jay Denton charged the members with making that determination.

"What you find will help us decide what to do at the end of our moratorium," Denton said, referring to the yearlong halt imposed on the construction of new asphalt plants.

"An asphalt plant could create jobs, and that would have a positive economic impact. Or it could run off our tourists, and that would negatively impact our tourism industry," Denton told the EDC. "It's an economic issue, and that's why we're referring the matter to you.

"We will visit several asphalt plants in our investigation, and Harrison is just the first one on our list," McClure said of Tuesday's fact-finding mission.

The county moratorium followed an announcement by Mark Fortner, owner of HMC Paving in Bryson City, that he planned to build an asphalt plant in Qualla's Gateway community. That announcement drew criticism from area residents, who appealed to commissioners on several occasions to find a way to prevent the project.

Back to Archive: 06/14/01.