Commissioners reveal Phase Two of mega-site prep plan, get donation from Norfolk Southern
Miranda Prescott
The Gadsden Times
November 17, 2021

Etowah County Commissioners announced during their regular meeting on Tuesday that the Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site soon will be moving into Phase Two of the major site preparation plan.

This new phase, according to Commission President Jamie Grant, will be funded by a $3 million donation from Norfolk Southern, a longtime partner of the project in conjunction with the county and the state’s Growing Alabama Credit Program. Grant thanked the railroad and the state for helping make the improvements possible.

The funding from Norfolk Southern will allow the pad size of the site to be extended to 100 acres and will include a new road that connects Canoe Creek Road North and Wesson Lake Road. It adds another access point to and from the site, and also will include tree removal from the new pad and Interstate 59 to prepare the section for future development.

“The site improvements have resulted in increased interest from companies and site selection consultants,” said Economic Development Director Marilyn Lott, “Ten requests for information have been received this year, with an average of 1,500 jobs and $2.5 billion in capital investment.”

Lott added that the investments made by Norfolk will allow the site to become more competitive and more marketable. “We’ve definitely seen the benefits from the Phase One project,” she said, “It’s just a matter of time before we see significant economic growth in this region.”

The partnership with Norfolk Southern on the project began in 2020, when the company provided $2.7 million through the credit program. In Phase One, 70 acres were constructed and made pad ready. This also included a rail-served site, moving natural gas lines, installing railroad crossings and extension of the site’s industrial access road.

“Rail is a key component to long-term success of the site, where we provide sustainable and efficient transportation of freight,” Chris Ingram, group vice president of industrial development for Norfolk Southern, explained.

The mega-site is county owned and includes more than 1,000 acres. It has earned Alabama Advantage Site designation and Norfolk Southern acknowledges it as one of their “prime sites.”

“The site prep plan is part of a recruitment strategy to attract an industry with a large number of high-quality, high-paying jobs by being prepared to offer a development ready site,” said Lott. “With a shared vision and collaboration among community leaders, I believe the mega-site will generate significant economic growth in the region.”

Commissioners authorized another agreement for the mega-site for professional designs from Goodwyn Mills and Cawood as part of the second phase.

They thanked Lott for her involvement with the project, saying that she has done an “outstanding job” marketing the site for potential prospects and fostering relationships with the state.

“We appreciate her service to Etowah County and her work bringing us forward,” said Commissioner Joey Statum, “A lot of things are happening with the mega-site and this commission as a whole, and I really foresee something happening sooner than later.”

Photo: Construction during phase one site prep project at Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site

Much work has been done at Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site
Donna Thornton
The Gadsden Times
11/22/20

Heading into the Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site from either direction, there's a bit of a drive before anyone can see what's going on at the certified AdvantageSite for potential industrial development.

From the Little Canoe Creek side, there's a drive through the woods before the wide expanse that's been cleared is visible, as heavy equipment lumbers on the site in ongoing work to make the property as ready as possible for whatever industry might locate there.

Before the work began, Etowah County Economic Development Director Marilyn Lott said, all the property looked like the woods that lead into it.

This conceptual rendering shows where the Little Canoe Creek Industrial Mega-Site is located, and the railroad line and roadways that give access to the site. The site is a 1,000-plus acre plot the Etowah County Commission bought over the past several years, with a plan to create one of the largest sites available in the state for industrial development.

Lott clearly sees some beauty beyond the backhoe work going on. She said she believes anyone with a vision for development will look at the land — when it's better cleared and made more level — with the mountain in the background, and they'll see the potential in the property.

Lott toured the property last week with members of the County Commission and staffers, pointing out for them where construction of a pad is planned, and other features on the property.

Crews worked previously to relocate gas lines at the Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site. The site has three options for gas service at the site. There is a lot to recommend the site to potential industry: the amount of acreage; it has Norfolk Southern rail onsite; it is adjacent to Interstate 59; it has one owner — Etowah County; it's served by Alabama Power; it has 1.4 million-plus gallons per day of excess water capacity; it is AT&T fiber and copper adjacent; and it has three options for natural gas service — Boaz Gas Board with 4- and 8-inch lines onsite; Spire, with 4- and 6-inch lines adjacent; and Southern Natural Gas, with 10- and 12-inch transmission lines 1.25 miles away.

Work continues to clear and flatten the land at the Mega-Site. County leaders are working, Lott said, to give the site even more of an advantage.

She said every dollar the county spends clearing and leveling the land, building a pad and preparing infrastructure at the site is less that an industry will have spend to make the property ready.

That, she said, should give the county an edge when industries come looking for a place to locate.

Etowah Commissioners and other viewed the Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site last week from the access road onto the property, as work continues to prepare the site for industrial prospects. For now, industrial development is slow, Lott said — like virtually everything touched by the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems.

She said when it picks back up, she believes it will come back strong — that people [company's plans] have been pent up for some time and will have money to spent in development and will be ready to spend it.

New substation to be built at Etowah County Mega-Site
Times Staff Report
Gadsden Times
December 1, 2020

A new substation will be built at the Etowah County Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site that currently is under development along Interstate 59. According to a press release from Alabama Power, the project would support economic development in the area and provide greater capacity for businesses and industry in the area.

"Alabama Power's new substation will be a major asset to promote with the mega-site's other location advantages," Etowah County Director of Economic Development Marilyn Lott said. "The substation project, in conjunction with the current construction of a 70-acre, pad-ready, rail-served site, raises the mega-site to the next level and puts us in a strong position to compete and successfully recruit a company with a large number of quality, high-paying jobs."

The infrastructure upgrade is intended to improve reliability to large customers stretching from Attalla to Steele. In addition, the release states that that the building of the substation will provide the area with 115 KV transmission sevice, which is coveted by job-creating industries.

“Alabama Power continues to invest in our reliability as well as the communities we serve,” Spencer Williams, Alabama Power Community Relations Manager, said.