ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) - The Rapides Parish Police Jury wants to ensure the needed public infrastructure is in place to accommodate the aluminum alloy plant to be built near Pineville.
The Town Talk reports (https://townta.lk/1zcNVac ) parish crews won’t be doing any actual construction for infrastructure, but the police jury will work with grant consultants, engineers, bond attorneys and special legal counsel in seeking state and federal grants to assist American Specialty Alloys.
The Police Jury on Monday voted unanimously to authorize jury President Richard Billings to take actions to facilitate the ASA plant locating in Rapides Parish. The assistance would come in the form of “grant applications and other legislatively created financing opportunities” to help ASA with its public infrastructure needs related to roads, water, sewer, rail and port access.
The approved motion notes assistance “may require the creation of special districts.”
“We’re moving forward to working with the state of Louisiana to apply for grants to work on the infrastructure to bring the plant here to Rapides Parish,” Juror Joe Bishop said.
ASA will build its $2.4 billion plant at the former International Paper mill site near Pineville. Although city of Pineville officials played a key role in attracting ASA to the area, the plant site is outside the city limits, so the Police Jury is taking the lead in working with the state on grant applications.
The plant, which will manufacture aluminum alloy for the automotive and aerospace industries, is projected to employ more than 1,400 people at an average salary around $70,000. Work is expected to begin later this year and be complete in 2020.
The plant will benefit the Police Jury from a tax standpoint, Bishop said, but the parish economy as a whole will get a huge boost from the jobs that will be created by ASA and spinoff companies.
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Information from: Alexandria Daily Town Talk, https://www.thetowntalk.com
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