State awards JDA $2.3M grant for St. Marys Commerce Park!

Just three months after entering into an agreement with the City of St. Marys to repurpose the former St. Marys Airport into a Commerce Park for light industry, the Camden County Joint Development Authority has been awarded $2.3 Million by the State of Georgia to help make the project a reality.   Georgia’s new Rural Innovation Fund is designed to assist rural communities overcome barriers to economic development by providing funding for necessary public infrastructure like roads, water and sewer.

In recent weeks, the Authority announced that SG Blocks and Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings will be the first tenants in the new park and will create 200 new jobs in Camden County.  Executive Director, James Coughlin said, “Cooperation between the City of St. Marys, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Representative Steven Sainz and the JDA Board made it possible for us to commit to these companies that we could deliver what they needed.

That upfront investment will yield hundreds of jobs and tens of millions in private dollars for our community.  St. Marys Mayor John Morrissey added, “The City of St. Marys is committed to redeveloping this stranded asset and we are grateful for the State’s assistance in this effort.”