#4: Future includes new industrial park

By Staff
Jan. 1, 2001
After some debate over how much the county should pay for the land, and heavy lobbying by the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation, Lauderdale County officials announced plans for a 630-acre industrial park on June 20.
For three years, EMBDC officials had said there was a serious need for a bigger, more attractive industrial park to lure large companies into the area.
After the selection of the "Malone Ranch" property on Highway 45 as the site for the new complex, the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors issued $4.25 million in general obligation bonds and moved quickly to buy the land. More than 75 percent of the land needed now belongs to the county.
The Meridian City Council has pledged to extend water and sewer service to the park site, at an estimated cost of $3.7 million.