MONTGOMERY—Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $750,000 grant to improve infrastructure in Prattville and pave the way for a new industry that will employ more than 200 people.
James Hardie Building Products Inc., a world-wide manufacturer of fiber-cement building materials, will construct a $220-million plant on a 103-acre site in Prattville South Industrial Park.
“Jobs continue to be a priority of my administration, and I am excited of the opportunities that James Hardie offers Prattville, central Alabama and the building industry as a whole,” Ivey said. “I am pleased to award this grant which will play an important role in bringing these new jobs to Prattville.”
The Community Development Block Grant funds will supply sewer services necessary for production. Materials produced by the plant will serve the company’s southeast U.S. market. James Hardie, an Australian-based company, makes products under the brand names of HardiePlank, HardiePanel, HardieTrim and others.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Ivey notified Mayor Bill Gillespie that the grant had been approved. The city is supplying $439,059 in local funding for the project.
ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.
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Contact Jim Plott or Mike Presley