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November 18, 2009

Darlington County Development Board Briefed on Industrial Site Certification

Alliance Consulting Engineers representatives presented the Darlington County Economic Development Partnership Board with a slideshow on industrial site certification on Wednesday at the Hartsville Country Club during the board’s monthly meeting.

Deepal S. Eliatamby, president of Alliance Consulting Engineers, explained that the state site certification program provides a unified format for all industrial sites in South Carolina through the Department of Commerce.

The S.C. Power Team selected Alliance Consulting Engineers to perform the site certification of the Darlington County I-20 Industrial Park located at Interstate 20 and S.C. 340 about a month ago. Completed site certification is expected by the end of January.

“The benefit of a certified site is that it puts you in an elite category,” Eliatamby said.

There are 450 sites in the state, but only 58 hold current certifications. Regionally, Florence County has three certified sites, Dillon has two, Marlboro has one, Marion has two, Lee has one, Sumter has three and Chesterfield has three.

Nearly all rural counties in the state have certified sites due to state grants provided a few years ago.

“Companies are risk averse,” said Robert Long, executive director for Darlington County Economic Development Partnership. “This mitigates that risk by doing all this on the front end.”

When prospects request information on a certified site, they can get it in electronic or paper format to suit their timeline.

“It gives you worldwide exposure,” Eliatamby said. “In the next two to three years, you won’t even be in the game without this.”

The certification program is a four-step process of increasing cost.

“This is a progressive process, so you can cut your losses at any point,” Eliatamby said.

Sites must be at least 20 acres with room for a 50,000-square-foot building.

Zoning, right-of-way information, fire ratings and maps are all part of the first step. Prior industrial zoning eliminates the long process to change the zoning of a parcel for incoming industry. Right-of-way information gives companies information on possible problems or limitations of a particular site. Fire ratings are an important factor that affects a recurring cost to the industry. Maps of access points, wetlands and flood plains help industry decide whether a site fits its needs.

Step two involves cataloging the existing infrastructure at a site. Certain industries require heavy wastewater capacity. Rail access, the most expensive thing to undertake, can set a site apart. Telecommunications, natural gas, electrical and roadway infrastructure are also key components.

Step three in the process determines how much of the site can actually be used through environmental assessments and examination of cultural and archaeological resources.

The Darlington County I-20 Industrial Park is between steps two and three in the process and has 145 to 150 acres.

“The more information you can provide that’s good and beneficial to [industries] the bigger the opportunity you have in being selected,” Eliatamby said.

The final , and the most costly, step details the groundwater, soil and seismic activity of a site. It also includes an aerial photograph, wetland delineation and survey, topographic survey and a Class A Boundary Survey to specify the exact acreage.

“They’re looking for a reason to eliminate you,” Eliatamby said. “It’s the last site standing wins.”

The Department of Commerce intends to add another component to the certification process to include quality of life and labor force issues.

Other sites with potential to be certified include the Tech Foundation Park, the property adjacent to the former Wellman facility in Darlington and Galey & Lord Plant No. 2 in Society Hill.

The Tech Foundation Park received a $20,000 grant from NESA, and Progress Energy has committed another $25,000. Another $5,000 to $10,000 may be needed to fund the site certification. Long also said he is working with neighboring landowners to expand the 57-acre park to more than 200 acres.

Darlington Developments LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Process Plants, purchased the Wellman plant in September with plans to remarket the plant to one or more users. Discussions about the adjacent property are ongoing.

The Galey & Lord facility has been vacant for 10 years, being used only recently for storage. The building, now listed with the Department of Commerce, has 30-foot ceilings, 255,000 square feet of space and infrastructure including rail access and tremendous water and sewer capacity. That infrastructure will be the main selling point since it is not located near an interstate.

Long said he hopes to have three certified sites by the end of next year.

In other business, Long presented new marketing materials. A new pamphlet with updated contact information as well as a marketing video will be unveiled at the Darlington County Progress Annual Meeting on Dec. 8 at the SiMT at Florence-Darlington Technical College.

Long also provided the board with a sample industry survey to gather information about companies in the county as well as reach out to them about the services the partnership can provide. SCMEP can help companies evaluate their efficiencies, and Apprenticeship Carolina can help establish a logical training regimen for employees with tax credit benefits.

“This is the first time we’ve done anything like this,” Long said. “This is a reliable low-cost way to touch our existing industry.”

Long also said he would follow up with individual industry by phone or in person.

Source:  www.scnow.com