The City of Abbeville in southeast Alabama will soon be home to 105 more jobs, thanks in part to a federal grant administered by the state.
Governor Kay Ivey announced on Wednesday that she has awarded a grant to the Henry County Commission that will provide transportation construction assistance to ship lumber, timbers and posts produced at the new Abbeville Fiber plant.
The award comes in the form of an $850,000 Community Development Block Grant from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant will be administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and is expected to boost the Yellowhammer State’s already robust timber industry.
“As we have seen during my administration, Alabama’s timber industry is at full throttle,” Ivey said in a statement.
The opening of Abbeville Fiber is also expected to expand the need for timber in southeast Alabama resulting in additional jobs in the forest industry down the line.
“It has been my experience that a big demand for wood is an indication of confidence in the economy, and that confidence leads to growth in housing and business in general. I am pleased to support this project to provide timber-industry jobs in Abbeville and Henry County,” Ivey added.
Abbeville Fiber, a part of Jimmy Rane’s Great Southern Wood Preserving Inc., will occupy the former West Point Stevens textile plant off U.S. Highway 431 and Alabama Highway 27. The sawmill will have the capacity to produce 200,000 feet a day of finished wood and will purchase an estimated $14 million to $15 million of yellow pine timber annually from suppliers within a 50-mile radius of the plant.
The grant funds will be used to construct a rail spur connecting the plant with the main railroad line to the south. The cut and sized lumber will be moved by rail to treatment plants in the South and along the Eastern Seaboard before making its way to retailers.
“Gov. Ivey is committed to helping create new jobs in Alabama and ensuring that the state grows and prospers,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell remarked. “ADECA is pleased to join with Gov. Ivey and assist in this venture.”
The Henry County Commission and the city of Abbeville have pledged an additional $160,000 to complete the project.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
