By this time next year the Morgan Business Park at I-65 and Thompson Road could be up and running based on the amount of attention it has gotten from business and industry leaders in the past 11 months.
That’s the assessment of Jeremy Nails, executive director of the Morgan County Economic Development Association.
Nails said contracts are in place with Hartselle Utilities to extend water and sewer lines to the 135-acre first phase development site on Byrd Road and for the design and engineering of on-site infrastructure.  These improvements will include putting water, sewer, gas and electric lines underground and realigning Byrd road for the park entrance.
“Our target is to get the park’s infrastructure out for bids later this year and have a ground breaking in January 2011,” Nails said.
Hartselle Utilities General Manager Ferrell Vest said design and engineering plans for a sewer line extension from Highway 31 to the park site are complete. The mile-long project will involve a force main, lift station and gravity flow sewer line.
“We’re working on easements with private property owners and are within about 10 percent of reaching our goal,” Vest said. “As soon as we have all of the easements, the project will be put out for bids.”
He said most of the work will be done on the south side of Thompson road and the project is expected to cost about $1 million.
Nails also listed as recent project developments a contract to remove some of the trees from the site, the employment of Ralph Edwards as project manager and the placement of a park sign on I-65.
“We’re moving as quickly as possible to ensure that we have a first class business park,” Nails said. “We’ve had several project managers with the Alabama Development Office visit the site and all of the feedback we’ve gotten has been very positive.”
The business park is an industrial development initiative supported with TVA payment sin lieu of taxes from the Morgan County Commission and all of the municipalities of Morgan County. It has general obligation bond resources totaling $16.2 million and is being managed by a board of directors representing the Morgan County Economic Cooperative District.