Dear Commissioners: Beaufort County EDC | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: I rather enjoy Warren's missives about the governing of Beaufort County. He projects a well-considered opinion, which must be the product of a curious mind.

    The Executive Director of the Economic Development Commission has written:

    "...a very large number (86% according to one study done several years ago) of prospective industries ask for buildings......However, without industrial parks, there is no way to efficiently build new buildings due to the expense of running industrially-sized utilities. So, industrial parks and building programs go hand in hand." (May 24, 2011)

    The statement seems to have a somewhat limited view of the economy. In fact, the vast majority of commercial enterprise in the United States, big and small, is undertaken outside of industrial parks. Health care, restaurants, groceries, office supplies, retail stores of all types and sizes, lawyers, accountants, garden suppliers, book stores, auto parts suppliers, tractor dealerships, ad infinitum, would find industrial parks the worst imaginable place for a location. These types of firms are large employers.

    Even if I grant a focus limited to large acreage and big box businesses, I am surprised.

    *    Lowe's built a rather large building on an unusually large paved site at just about the same time the Washington Industrial Park was being initiated

    *    Pecheles Toyota built another large box building with an extensive paved area more or less next door to the Washington Industrial Park.

    *    Park Boat relocated to a large site on 264 without resorting to Washington Industrial Park.

    *    Donzi has taken over the manufacturing operation, plant and equipment at the Fountain facility.

    These projects, by private entrepreneurs, seem to have done rather well even through the recession has hit construction, boats and autos harder than any other sector of the economy. They really did not need a government agency to walk with them "hand in hand" through the commercial bliss of an industrial park.

    I will also note in passing that there are several firms on the EDC's own client list who have taken several million dollars in grant money and used it to upgrade old buildings at an existing site rather than move to the Industrial Park.

    *    Impressions

    *    Camfil Farr

    *    Flanders

    *    Flanders even chose to refit a building next to the Industrial Park rather than use the Park itself.

    *    Carver

    *    Carver took several million in grants and used them to expand the existing facility rather than occupy the Industrial Park.

    *    PAS

    *    PAS is occupying the old Lowe's building and is now using $1,600,000 in grants to refurbish that facility rather than move to the Industrial Park.

    *    SouthTech Plastics with $2,500,000 in grants available chose to stay in New Berne.

    It appears that the EDC's grant money which is often described as being directed at reclaiming "abandon space" is in conflict with the EDC real estate adventure in the two industrial parks.

    Not surprisingly, the Executive Director's premise advocating that Beaufort County is running out of reclaimable existing space recently took an unexpected bump when Flanders donated a large facility in Bath, NC. The EDC is now marketing the Bath space to the same size boat building businesses which occupy Washington Industrial Park. The Bath site seems to be as praiseworthy as the Washington location.

    The simple facts are that there is no shortage of buildings or land for commercial development. The Economic Development Commission itself has been able to assemble two very large tracts of land in just the last several years. There is plenty more where that came from. While the EDC has sat flat footed at QSBII, Pecheles has built, relocated and thrived, Fountain has failed and Donzi has stepped into its space....and the Methodists have built an enormous addition on Third St. The private sector can accomlish everything that need doing whether it is good for the wallet or the soul.

    Meanwhile, the EDC is a tax payer financed commission competing in land sales with its tax paying neighbors, and vainly trying to rent space in competition with other landlords while neglecting to write a single grant for three and one half years.

    Please, put an end to this. For years this whole mess has been a series of fallacies piled on a foundation of misinformation. It has been a string of false hopes and a maze of contradictions. We can not even say that we got knocked off our plan. There never was a plan! It has cost us dearly.

    Disassemble the EDC. Reform it as an agency of the county government with a manager reporting to the County Manager and ultimately to the Commissioners. Keep it tightly budgeted. Hire only Beaufort County residents. Keep the money at home. Restrict its roll to helping viable firms find grant sources and write those grants.