editorial3

@thomastontimes.com

After a year and a half of planning and construction, the InnoWare rail spur has been completed and the first rail car was delivered on Friday, Nov. 20.

“We are very excited about this and what it means for the company,” said Randy Ballinger, Facilities Technical Manager for InnoWare.

The possibility of a rail spur had been discussed for many years and took the support of both local and state government before the plan could be put into action. The addition cost a total of $1.6 million to complete, with the money coming from several organizations. Those who contributed include, One Georgia, $500,000 grant; Thomaston-Upson Industrial Development Authority, $500,000; Norfolk Southern, $80,000; and Department of Community Affairs, $375,000.

Because of eligibility requirements, the UpsonEMC applied for a Rural Economic Development Loan (REDLoan) on behalf of the IDA, through the United States Department of Agriculture for $740,000. According to the USDA website, the REDLoan program provides zero interest loans to local utilities which in turn, pass through to local businesses for projects that will create and retain employment in rural area.

The rail spur will enable InnoWare to bring raw materials to Upson and keep cost control down by using the railroad instead of solely relying on trucks. The rail spur runs from Highway 36 over to behind the InnoWare plant.

According to Ballinger, some materials will still be delivered to the plant by trucks, but the company will be mainly utilizing the rail system.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the rail spur was held earlier this summer on July 7 to mark the beginning of construction of the rail spur.

“Everything went as scheduled, even with the record amounts of rain we had these past few months,” said Ballinger.

“This has been a good project for the IDA and the community as a whole. The rail spur was completed on time and hopefully it will be beneficial to InnoWare and the stability of their company, as well as being beneficial for use by future industrial authorities,” said Neil Hightower, chairman of the Thomaston-Upson IDA.

One of the main benefits of building the rail spur is that it kept InnoWare in Upson County instead of the plant moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee. It saved existing jobs as well as allowing for new ones to be created.