TIFTON — While giving his “State of the County” speech at the Tifton Rotary club’s noon luncheon meeting Wednesday, Tift County Commission Chairman Grady Thompson announced that the Tift County Development Authority is working to bring Tifton Aluminum — or its equivalent — back to Tift County.

“We’re working on it,” Thompson told the Rotarians. He said the reason the company the TCDA is in negotiations with is considering Tifton is because of EPA restrictions elsewhere. “There is too much (government) regulation,” Thompson said.

The TCDA has been quietly working on re-starting the Tifton Aluminum facility through an existing aluminum extrusion company for several months.

In a letter to Alcoa in November, Thompson told Alcoa that the TCDA, Chamber of Commerce, city leaders and local bankers wanted to re-start Tifton Aluminum “with a goal to re-build the business to its former prominence.”

Initially the TCDA suggested that Alcoa “gift” the facility to them “for tax benefit to Alcoa.” Alcoa rejected that suggestion early in the discussions. The TCDA then requested that Alcoa “cease decommissioning activity and auction plans and enter into serious negotiation with the community for an asset transfer or sale.”

In a letter in mid-November, Alcoa told the TCDA that they were willing to work with the TCDA to “reach an agreement that will be mutually beneficial to both the Tift County Development Authority as well as Alcoa, Inc.”

The TCDA will purchase the property, land and equipment from Alcoa and the TCDA will then lease the property to the new owners.

An issue of concern to both the TCDA and Alcoa — and perhaps a “sticking point” to any agreement — are environmental issues, concerns and liabilities that would come with the purchase of the property from Alcoa.

At the January meeting of the TCDA, members discussed the purchase price for the facility and said that they wanted indemnity “from environmental claims” but said they thought the negotiations were “moving along.”

Should the plans move along as the TCDA envisions them, the “new” Tifton Aluminum plant would open and begin hiring this year. They plan to hire “30 to 40 employees to start.”

At the Rotary luncheon, Thompson also gave the following information about the state of Tift County:

• The county operates on a $38 million budget.

• The county has a 3.6 to 4.0 growth rate.

• The county now has a three-month reserve fund, which is “the best we have had in a really good while.”

• The county earns interest on money it is not using.

• Tift County has 500 miles of road and 200 of them are dirt. “We have paved and resurfaced probably 50 to 60 miles,” he said.

• Tift County partnered with other counties to bring in the ethanol plant. “It did not come into Tift County but we were still partners,” he said.

Thompson said, “The future is very bright for Tift County.”

During a question and answer session, Thompson was asked about the ethanol plant. The question was, given the costs to produce a gallon and the large amount of water use, “Was it something we really want to do?” Thompson answered, “I’m not concerned about water. In Atlanta, not down here.”

Another question was about why “the only two dirt streets” in town were not paved. The streets are near St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. “Is that city or county?” Thompson asked and everyone laughed.

Another question was about the cost of the EMTs. Thompson answered by saying that two of the ambulances are “down now.”

Asked if they were going to consolidate the city and county, Thompson said, “We are closer than we ever have been.” He said he did not know “the will of the people” and then asked for a show of hands pro and con. Most people present voted for consolidation.



To contact reporter Jana Cone, call 382-4321, ext. 208.