PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TALLAPOOSA, Georgia – Another major milestone in the redevelopment of the Robbins Compounding Site in Tallapoosa has begun. Demolition of the building is underway. The Development Authority of Haralson County purchased the 61-acre rail site in July 2014 as part its mission of bringing jobs to Haralson County. “It was a true loss for the community when Robbins Compounding (now Hexpol) closed the facility; however, we have an opportunity to put the land back to work for our community.” said Development Authority Chairman Donny Boswell.
The original building was built in the mid 1950’s and expanded multiple times over the years. “The building had reached the end of its useful life.” said Chamber President/CEO Eric McDonald. He continued, “With a shortage of available buildings in northwest Georgia, we tried to drum up interest in the existing structure; however, every developer, prospect and consultant we brought to the site said to tear it down the land is more useful.” The demolition company will leave the concrete pad, rail spur, switch and water tower when finished sometime in mid February.
According to Georgia Power’s SelectGeorgia database, used as a tool by prospects to find suitable sites, there is not another similar site this close to an interstate and Atlanta. “There is a real opportunity here for a new location, we have already shown the site to prospects from four countries and the US,” said McDonald. “If we are going to be attractive to new industries, we need to be ready and that means having available product that meets their needs and is ready to develop.” Richard Davis with the Development Authority of Haralson County stated.
In addition to building demolition, the Development Authority will begin the process of having the site certified as a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) site. “This will make our site show up on the top of search results and removes much of the risk of finding unknown issues with the site,” McDonald said.
The Development Authority of Haralson County and the Greater Haralson Chamber of Commerce is the local entity responsible for marketing Haralson County as a great location to potential industries across the globe. For more information about this story or economic development in Haralson County, please contact the Chamber at 770-537-5594.
Elizabeth Langley
Director of Marketing & Events
Greater Haralson Chamber of Commerce
70 Murphy Campus Blvd. • Waco GA 30182
Direct: 678.821.1600
