OC excited about Economic Development

A top priority of the Oconee County Council in the New Year is to create more jobs and attract more companies and industries here, announces Oconee County Administrator Scott Moulder. “We have committed ourselves to economic development and we have committed ourselves to providing investment in job growth.” The Oconee County Council has worked hard over the last few years to improve infrastructure thus creating economic development potential, explains Moulder. “We are putting in place the proper economic development infrastructure to make ourselves competitive with anybody not only in the state but in the Southeast.” Moulder tells about those economic development infrastructure projects currently underway in Oconee County. “When the Inland Port in Greer opens up, we have got the Seneca Rail Site that is going to have a direct connection to the Charleston Port.  We are one of only five in the Upstate that has a site on a rail line that will have access to a port.  We have got Echo Hills the phase one is under development; we are courting a project right now to go into the first lot in that development.  We have Golden Corner that we’re millimeters away from having sewer starting construction, engineering is underway.  We have the money in the budget to begin it.  We are working with the sewer authority to establish some contracts for that.” Thanks to those projects, interest in Oconee County has risen, says Moulder. “We have had more activity in the last year, I think, with projects and companies looking at us than we have in a long time and we are extremely excited about the potential it has.” On behalf of the Oconee County Council, Moulder thanked area businesses and industries for their efforts in economic development. “We want to applaud and commend our existing industries because they play a huge role in our potential success.  Other companies will come in and talk with them about the business climate here and their successes.  They will look their ability to come into a county and make a profit.  We want to applaud them because they are a huge part of recruitment, they are a huge part of the job growth that we have had and we thank every one of them that we have got.” Residents are invited to attend the Oconee County Council’s strategic planning retreat on February 7 at 9am to hear more about what is being done to bring jobs to Oconee County.  However, an opportunity for public comment will not be offered at this meeting.