Project “Wash” now inactive

The effort to bring a large employer to Oconee’s Golden Corner Commerce Park appears to have been tabled, according to information received this morning by a committee of the Joint Regional Sewer Authority.  Jamie Gilbert of the Oconee Economic Alliance made the announcement, calling inactive the status of code-named Project Wash, previously identified as an economic development that could create as many as 1,000 jobs in the Fair Play area. Gilbert’s disclosure came as he presented a two-page list of recommendations designed to reach a median when it comes to impact fees development must meet to secure sewer service through the JRSA.  Last month Gilbert expressed concern that steep impact fees could impair prospective industry — in particular, Project Wash.  His interchange this morning with the JRSA’s finance and administration committee suggested some give-and-take is in order when it comes to the impact fees faced by new, large customers — balanced with the JRSA’s ability to commit sufficient gallons-per-day arrangements so as not to exhaust the JRSA’s plant capacity.  This comes at a time when the sewer commissioners are studying whether and when it’ll be necessary to expand the capacity of the county’s plant or, perhaps, build a second plant.