ROCKINGHAM — Construction on the long-awaited Enviva Biomass wood pellet plant should begin later this year, a company representative told the Richmond County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.
Glen Gray, project sponsor for the proposed sites in Richmond and Sampson counties, said the company just recently passed a major hurdle and is moving forward.
Gray added that the N.C. Division of Environment and Natural Resources reported there was “overwhelming support” for Enviva’s project in Richmond County.
He said the company needs to be making product by the fourth quarter of next year, so construction at the site outside Hamlet should begin in the fourth quarter of this year.
Enviva has already spent more than $3 million on the project, has cleared the property and has been working with CSX and the N.C. Department of Transportation, he added.
“We’re like a duck in a pond,” Gray said. “Don’t look like we’re doing much, but if you look under the water, there’s a lot going on.”
State and local officials announced in September of 2014 that the wood pellet manufacturer will bring 80 jobs and a $107 million investment to Richmond County.
The wood pellets, which are a renewable energy source that can be burned in place of coal, will be exported from a new terminal at the Port of Wilmington.
Salaries at the plant will vary by job function, officials said, but Enviva’s average annual wage for the 80 positions will be $37,961. The county’s average annual wage is $30,788.
This will be the company’s fifth plant in the past five years, and the fourth in North Carolina. Gray told commissioners the one here will be similar to an existing plant in Roanoke Rapids.
County economic developer Martie Butler briefed commissioners on the recent announcement by Plastek of its $2.5 million investment that will bring 23 new jobs to its facility.
“Our existing industries are the lifeblood of our community,” she said.
With that being said, Butler borrowed Gray’s duck analogy, saying there was a lot going on behind the scenes with continuing site visits, including one company that has visited the county 10 times.
She said she is hoping to have more announcements in the coming weeks.
FIRETRUCK FIX
Alan Hogan, chief of the Derby Volunteer Fire Department, wrote a letter — dated Nov. 20, 2015 — requesting funds to replace the water tank and the clutch on a pumper truck, which the department has leased from the county for $1 per year since 1989.
Hogan said holes were recently found in the water storage tank after 26 years of service, adding that two other departments have experienced similar issues.
He also said the $8,000 contribution from the county covers the insurance for the station, equipment and workers’ compensation, with hardly any surplus funds. He added that those generated from fundraising activities go toward operating the station and providing service to the district as well as mutual aid.
Estimates to make the necessary repairs came in around $12,000, with department volunteers installing the new tank and an outside vendor repairing the clutch.
“We do not have these kinds of funds available to us without using our entire resources, leaving us hardly anything left to maintain normal operations throughout the coming year,” Hogan wrote.
Commissioners voted to cover the repairs, with County Manager Rick Sago working with the department to oversee the use of the funds.
POVERTY PREVENTION
Commissioners also voted to approve a $153,824 community services block grant for the Sandhills Community Action Program.
Karen Ray-Thomas, program director, told commissioners that 118 Richmond County residents were served last year, including sending seven men though truck driver training. Out of the total served, 64 were able find employment.
Thomas said the program works with the Department of Social Services, but helps participants become self-sufficient and skill-ready by providing education and job training, start-up assistance and budgeting and credit counseling.
RECREATION REACTION
Board Chairman Kenneth Robinette plans to meet with municipal leaders early next month in response to a recent decision by the city of Rockingham to limit participation in its parks and recreation programs to residents in certain ZIP codes.
Since the county dissolved its programs in the mid-1980s, Rockingham has picked up participants and increased its budget to provide recreation opportunities.
City leaders say the strain has not only been felt financially — subsidizing participants outside the taxing zone — but also on city facilities.
A bond referendum to build a sports complex by instituting a quarter-cent sales tax increase failed overwhelmingly at the ballot box in November of 2014.
Robinette said a lot of the money would have been coming in from outsiders making purchases in Richmond County had the referendum passed.
It’s possible a new referendum could be on the ballot in November.
Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_toler.
