Barnwell, SC, Dec. 18--According to the Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, SC,
officials from Kronotex USA Inc., which produces quality wood products including flooring for commercial and residential use, signed a purchase contract for 342.7 acres of Tri-County Alliance-owned property on Dec. 9.
The TCA is the economic development arm of the tri-county area. TCA officials made the announcement during a meeting at the SCAT Park on Tuesday.
The park is the former 1,640-acre site of the Allied General Nuclear Services plant. The SCAT Park's transformation into one of the largest regional parks in the Southeast was lauded by former SC Commerce Secretary Charlie Way as a "major recycling story" at ceremonies for the park's July 21, 2000, opening.
The acreage could be transferred to Kronotex as early as the end of January, while construction could begin by April 2004. The company originally announced an investment of more than $100 million and the creation of up to 160 jobs for the tri-county area.
Kronotex USA President Norman A. Voss said the company's initial construction will probably begin with a melamine laminated flooring plant, but projected future construction in the coming years could include other plans to produce medium density fiberboard and laminated panel products used to make furniture, cabinets and millwork.
During his report to the Bamberg County Council in February, TCA President Danny Black said the creation of the Kronotex facility had been on hold because of a sluggish economy, but had to begin some sort of construction by October 2004 to satisfy DHEC permits.
"Obviously we're ecstatic over Kronotex's decision to move forward. We understood the need for Kronotex to wait on an improved worldwide economy, so we stayed in constant contact. We even sent a delegation to Europe to meet with company officials and encourage them to build here at the earliest practical time," Black said.
"The size and scope of KronoGroup's European operations boggle the mind. If investments of this scale were eventually made here at the South Carolina Advanced Technology Park, it would mean hundreds of high-paying jobs and hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for not only Barnwell County, but for our other member counties of Allendale and Bamberg through our revenue sharing agreement," he said.
