MONTGOMERY—A $500,000 grant awarded by Gov. Kay Ivey will help bring more than 100 new jobs to Pike County while creating additional job opportunities throughout Alabama’s Wiregrass area.
The Community Development Block Grant will assist Graceville, Fla.-based Rex Lumber Co. in constructing a $110 million sawmill operation in Pike County that will employ 110 people.
“This project is further proof that the construction and timber industries are on the upswing in Alabama and are creating new job opportunities for our residents,” Ivey said. “I am pleased to support this project as part of my administration’s commitment to encourage new or expanding business and industry in our state and provide jobs.”
CDBG funds will be used to resurface County Road 7714 (also known as Orion Road) from the plant to U.S. Highway 231 north of Troy. The resurfacing is needed to withstand traffic of the estimated 140 trucks per day traveling to and from the plant. The Pike County Commission has pledged an additional $500,000 for the road project.
Rex Lumber Co. will be located on a 294-acre site near the Meeksville community. The complex, expected to begin production a year after construction begins, will include a sawmill, two lumber storage facilities, three kilns and two finish facilities.
Rex Lumber Co. currently operates two sawmills in the Florida panhandle and one in Mississippi. The Pike County sawmill is expected to produce 240 million board feet of timber annually. The sawmill is expected to increase employment throughout the area by way of new timber harvesting and hauling jobs.
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.
“Gov. Ivey is aware of the great impact that this plant will have in Pike County and southeast Alabama in terms of employment and overall economic impact,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is pleased to join with Gov. Ivey and local leaders to support this project.”
Ivey notified Robin Sullivan, chairman of the Pike County Commission, that the grant had been approved.
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