BY MALIA RIGGS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
The Prattville Industrial Board met last Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce where their agenda was short and brief, and a special guest speaker also spoke to the board.
Lisa Miller, the Chairman for the Industrial Development Board confirmed in the meeting that she will be regretfully resigning as chairman, effective immediately. Miller has served on the IDB in various capacities since 1997 and she also serves as the Chairman for the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce.
“I have taken on some additional responsibilities in my company to include governmental affairs and statewide boards, plus being the chairman for the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce. I just really need to pull back,” Miller said.
Many members of the board thanked Miller during the meeting for her devoted service over the years.
“I think we’ve got a great board that can step right in and not even be a blip on the radar. They’ll all serve the city well and I’m leaving it in very capable hands,” Miller said with a smile.
There will be an election of officers for the Industrial Development Board that will be held in January of 2024.
The meeting continued with the approval of minutes from the two previous meetings and an economic update from Bryant Whaley, the director of Economic Development for Prattville.
Whaley confirmed an application is in the process for the SEEDS Act which would cover 50% of the initial costs. The SEEDS Act is a population based grant and Autauga County is considered a rural population, which consists of under 60,000 people, Whaley confirmed.
Whaley also confirmed that the SEEDS Act, if accepted, would provide half of the costs through grant money for a new assessment of the South Industrial Park. The previous assessments were about 10-years-old Whaley stated.
The new assessments were quoted at around $82,000, which if granted the SEEDS Act would help cover the costs of those assessments. The City Council will vote on a resolution to approve the go-ahead for the application process at the Dec. 5th meeting.
Whaley stated the application is due Dec. 15th and if accepted, he will know the results in February or March of 2024.
“Funding from (the SEEDS Act) is for site developments or site assessments, what we are applying for is site assessment. What this means is when a prospect looks for a piece of property they want the due diligence done. Due diligence is making sure the land is ready to go for development and making sure there’s not going to be an endangered species or any type of surprise that would hinder developments.” Whaley said.
Due diligence, in regard to site development, means that an environmental study which looks at aspects such as wetlands, the type of soil on the site, geological and topographical assessments, to a cultured resources review which ensures that there is not any historical markers or graves on the site.
The South Industrial Park is over 400 acres and this new assessment would ensure the land is ready to go for any additional projects.
“Active recruiting is going on as we speak right now, so that was one of the needs for new assessments, we have active prospects looking at the South Industrial Park and we have to stay proactive and not reactive,” Whaley said.
Whaley also confirmed that the Central States Bus Sales is still a go at this time.
Special guest speaker Matt Parker, the president of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Developer for the city of Dothan spoke to the Prattville Industrial Board Tuesday afternoon, Miller noted Parker’s extensive experience and success of over 20 years.
Parker spoke on his successful experiences over the years building spec buildings in the Dothan area. A “speculative” building is a commercial building built, with the goal of attracting tenants shortly after construction, for economic gain.
Among the board members, Whaley and special guest speaker Parker, Mayor Bill Gillespie, Councilman Albert Striplin and the Prattville finance director Daniel Oakley were also in attendance for Thursday afternoon’s meeting.
