ARC greenlights Cedartown funding

The Appalachian Regional Commission development grant will be applied to improvements to the recently acquired York property.

The City of Cedartown is up to receive funds to help make improvements to the York Property purchased for additional industrial development.

City Manager Bill Fann said a grant proposed for improving the York property in hopes of attracting additional business coming into Cedartown’s Northside Industrial Park was approved by Georgia’s office for the Appalachian Regional Commission.

“Any letter that begins with ‘Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you...’ has always got to be good news,” Fann told commissioners during his manager’s report announcing the news on Monday night during the Cedartown City Commission meeting.

He went on to say the city will get a little over $552,000 out of the $600,000 the city requested from the grant, expecting to match 30 percent of the overall costs of the improvement projects.

The city will still have to wait for final approval from the Appalachian Regional Commission office in Washington, D.C. before a check is cut, but both Fann and the letter providing the city with the good news said that process usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks to complete. Much of that is to ensure the grant follows all of the guidelines required by

One of the main reasons Fann was happy with the news was the York property will get some much needed additions to make it more friendly to a potential industrial partner to come in and see the property as a whole, while also having much of the utilities ready to go.

The 240 acres was purchased from the York family for $700,000 by the Cedartown Development Authority with financing from the city in hopes of gaining more area to expand the industrial park across Davis Road as acreage dwindles in the current busi- ness park.

Since making the 2016 property purchase, Fann said a number of people have been able to come out and take a look at the site. However, without existing water and sewer or access roads, it makes it a harder sale for investors looking at Polk County as a possible place to locate.

“The funds that we’re receiving will get us a couple entrance roads, water and sewer into property, and clearing of the area, so we can take prospects into the property without having to drive through 5 foot tall grass,” Fann said.

He added that initially he was “a bit skeptical” of the city’s chances to get the grant, but was glad it worked out.

“Apparently this was the kind of thing t hey were looking for, so we’re glad it worked out in our favor,” Fann said.

If the funds get final approval in Washington, D.C., Fann said work could start as soon as January 2019 after going through the required engineering, planning, permits and bids process. The city will still have to match 30 percent of the estimated construction costs, or $236,625.