Funds from Polk’s 2008 and proposed 2014 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax are being sought for economic development.

The Development Authority of Polk County (DAPC) is requesting $1.7 million from SPLOST to pay for a 2012-2014 capital outlay priority list, which would include:

Cedartown North Business Park (CNBP): $100,000 to pay remaining cost of providing a dedicated access road to the 225-acre Phase II section.

The Georgia Department of Transportation has allocated about $150,000 to create an access road to the 11 and 28-acre rough graded pads in the first phase of the CNBP.

The Development Authority is paying $14,000 in engineering fees to create and submit plans for the road. These have been submitted for final review by GDOT. A true cost estimate and construction documents are expected in February or March and construction could begin in April or May.

Since this is a community effort, leadership from the City of Cedartown and land/right of way donation from the Cedartown Development Authority are needed, according to DAPC officials.

Options for direct job attraction through economic development include:

Pay off $1,258,766 debt used to purchase industrial land in Cedartown.

Build a Speculative Industrial Building, estimated to cost $1,600,000.

Local officials note that 8 of the top 15 manufacturing employers in Polk were attracted or located in a spec building.

Favored is a 105,000 square foot building (shell) on the 11-acre pad of the CNBP. Current estimates for construction are $16 per square foot. Hopes are to get this process underway during this summer (2012).

SPLOST money would also be used to pay for the following:

Industrial Park Sign/Entrance improvements - $100,000;

Tourism Navigational Signage improvements - $75,000;

City/county gateway and targeted intersection landscaping - $250,000.

Plans are to involve Keep Polk Beautiful in conjunction and coordination with local and GDOT officials in this planned project.

Proposed economic development projects from the 2008 SPLOST would total about $1,783,766.

An additional $450,000 would be drawn from the proposed 2014 SPLOST (on March 6 ballot) to build an access road in Rockmart 101 Park - Phase II.

This would place Rockmart with direct four-lane access to I-75 once the proposed four-lane relocation of Highway 113 is completed.

DAPC’s request has been presented to the Polk County Board of Commissioners. Hopes are that it will be an agenda item at the February 7 meeting.

President Eric McDonald, DAPC, has encouraged the group to consider the benefits of the capital outlay projects, including job creation.