By Stan Welch
The Anderson County Council continued its recent remarkable string of economic developments, by giving third reading approval of various incentives to the Carbon Resources Recovery SC LLC Tuesday night.
The company, which manufactures recycled tire materials, will invest $19 million and create approximately 30 jobs over the next two years. Anderson County Economic Development director Burriss Nelson said that the company will pay better than $18 an hour in wages, with an annual payroll of $1 million.
The company will locate in Councilwoman Gracie Floyd’s District Two. It’s the first meaningful economic development in the blighted district in many years. The impact of the investment and facility itself will be significant, as well.
The site of the proposed facility paid ninety seven dollars in property taxes last year. In its first year of operation(construction should be completed in 2015) the site will generate more than $400,000 in taxes. It will generate more than $2.5 million over the following twenty years.
The overall impact on the local economy by the plant in its first year will be $8.6 million, while that impact expands to $38.6 million over the next twenty years.
In other business, Ms. Celia Boyd, of the planning department, explained the work that the Planning and Public Works Committee is doing as it reviews the County’s comprehensive land use plan. Much of Ms. Boyd’s presentation, covering two of the nine chapters of the plan, involved statistical demographic information.
Not surprisingly, Boyd stated that the county has grown by thirteen per cent in population, with approximately 187,000 people now living here. Also, as expected, the Powdersville/Piedmont area is growing the fastest at that thirteen per cent rate, but the West Pelzer/Pelzer/Williamston area is right behind at twelve per cent.
Demographics are changing, with the population, as in many places across the South, growing older as more retirees move down from the north. I specific,the segment of the population made up of women, sixty-five and older has grown by seven per cent. Those in that group who are alone are increasing even faster.
There was good news on the education front. Based on 2010 census figures, the percentage of people older than twenty five who had no high school diploma dropped significantly, from 27% to 19%. In a related finding, the five school districts in the county comprise the largest employer.
The recent resurgence of manufacturing and distribution related jobs in the county has been fueled by foreign investment. The county boasts twenty two international companies who have facilities in the area. Germany tops the list with seven.
