Mel Baxter, Interim Director

“I continue to meet with a group out of Atlanta that has expressed an interest in downtown Brunswick. They have several areas of downtown Brunswick that they continue to look at,” he said.
“I have now set up a meeting with the college for next week to talk about a public-private collaborative effort.”

Baxter refrained from identifying the company or releasing more details, explaining it’s too early in negotiations to disclose, but he said he was excited about the prospect.

“It would be a great stimulus for downtown Brunswick,” he said.

He mentioned another prospect, without naming it, that’s inquiring about the 70-acre tract the authority owns.

He also discussed the development authority’s inventory and funding, noting the lack of inventory, namely land, to lure new business. He said it will be detrimental to future efforts.
He said it was important to obtain GRAD (Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development) certification,, a key in economic development. The sites, which meet a specific list of criteria, are the first locations project managers look at when coming into the state for development opportunities.

“We’re going through the process of getting our 70-acre site certified, but…it’s very evident that the Brunswick-Glynn County Economic Development Authority needs more inventory,” he said.
Baxter said the sizes of the GRAD sites that were being certified at meetings he attended around the state ranged from 265 acres to 886 acres.

“We’ve got 70 acres. It’s a wonderful piece of property — it’s great — but to be in the ballgame we’re going to have to increase our inventory,” he said.

How the authority plans to increase inventory wasn’t determined. The group, which is funded by the Glynn County Commission, is in the midst of completing its budget for the next fiscal year. The previous budget was $800,000.

Baxter said other counties pass a SPLOST or raise the millage rate for more revenue.

“When NAFTA…was voted in, Dublin lost 3,000 jobs,” he said. “The elected officials and citizenry came together and said we’ve got two choices: we can continue to operate like we have and hope we survive or we can get back in the game and really try to bring in development.

“To their credit, they decided to get back in the game. They issued a SPLOST and in that SPLOST they agreed to give 25 percent to their development authority. They currently have $16 million in their bank devoted to economic development — to do incentives, to buy property, to build spec buildings,” he said.

Dublin, Baxter added, is in the process of doing another SPLOST, which will bring in another $15 million.

“When you talk about economic development, that’s what we’re up against,” he said.
Baxter also pointed to Camden County, which passed a 1 mill tax in April. It’s expected to bring in $1.3 million for its authority.

“We are very blessed that the county commission agrees to fund us in the matter that they do,” he said. “But if we’re really going to get in the game we’re going to have to start doing some things that will generate inventory and get people’s attention.”

Reporter Lindsey Adkison writes about business and other local topics. Contact her at ladkison@thebrunswicknews.com on Facebook or at 265-8320 ext. 346.

This story first appeared at The Brunswick News