Franklin County IBA to Sell Acreage on Gerrard Road in Lavonia

The Franklin County Industrial Building Authority is in negotiations to sell acreage on Gerrard Road.

The property consists of 19 acres behind Harbin Lumber and the EMS station. Total price of the acreage is $165,000.

At a called meeting earlier this week, the Board voted to move forward with contract negotiations of up to $25,000 per acre on behalf of the IBA.

The IBA did not mention the name of the potential buyer but IBA Executive Director Tonya Powers said if it goes through, an announcement will be made in the coming weeks.

Last month, the IBA approved a tax incentive package for another new company, NVR Homes, for the new truss plant they plan to build off Old Federal Highway in Carnesville.

The prospect of a new employer coming to Franklin County is good news after three companies announced plans to close their doors over the past six months.

The first was Galko-Cool Farm, which moved its operations back to its home headquarters in Mexico.

Belgium-based bedding manufacturer Latexco closed its doors at the end of October and another Belgium-based company, Bosal/MagnaFlow recently announced it would be closing its Lavonia and Toccoa operations at the end of the year and moving them back to their facility in California.

The IBA will be working with the Toccoa-Stephens County Development Authority to host a job fair for Bosal employees sometime in the coming weeks.