AIKEN COUNTY, S.C. (WJBF) — A poultry processing company eyeing Aiken County suffers a setback. The House of Raeford wanted perks from the city and the county to build the facility off Frontage Road. People we spoke with were concerned about the environmental and social impacts. “Those are questions of whether or not it’s a good or bad idea. But the county council’s position is that it didn’t even meet the first hurdle, which is, is it technically feasible?” Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker said.
The North Carolina poultry company planned to invest $185 million in Aiken County, creating 900 jobs at $18 an hour, plus benefits. The County Council didn’t approve a plan to set a fee instead of having taxes paid. “Fee in lieu of tax agreement was a critical thing in what they wanted to do, similar to how they were seeking favorable water rates from the city of Aiken. My understanding now is that the city of Aiken is not gonna pursue second reading of that agreement either,” he shared.
Bunker expressed concern about the plant’s wastewater treatment needs, citing insufficient infrastructure to support the proposed capacity. “That this plant would use approximately 1.7 million gallons per day of capacity at the Horse Creek Wastewater Treatment plant, he revealed. “Neither the city of Aiken nor Aiken County have that extra capacity to offer them at this point.”
In a letter, Governor Henry McMaster voiced interest in bringing the plant to Aiken County but faced opposition from the local government. “There’s a lot of interest in Columbia to bring the plant here. I did not see a lot of interest in Aiken County to have the plant come,” Bunker said.
There were debates from residents about whether the proposed jobs would benefit the local community or if they would be filled by workers commuting from elsewhere.
There are no immediate plans for the project. Leaders are focused on bringing in high-profit, high-tech investments.
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