| 129 acres set aside for plant Land gives Flanders room to expand NEW ELLENTON - The Florida-based corporation that plans to build a subsidiary plant near Savannah River Site purchased more than 129 acres of land for the project in late October, Aiken County property records show. The Flanders Corp., based in St. Petersburg, bought the irregularly-shaped parcel Oct. 22 for an undisclosed amount, a quit claim deed filed Nov. 4 shows. The land sits on the northern border of SRS, about 600 feet west of the intersection of U.S. Highway 278 and South Carolina Highway 19, which is one of the main gateways to the federal facility. Logging operations have already started on the heavily-forested property south of U.S. Highway 278. State and local officials would not discuss the timetable or other details of the project, which could employ between 600 and 800 people. Aiken County Council Chairman Ronnie Young would not discuss the Flanders project, which has been the result of lengthy negotiations between the company and state and local economic development organizations. But he did express hope that jobs at the proposed plant would boost depressed economic conditions in the small towns of New Ellenton and Jackson. "They've been hurting," said Mr. Young. "But we would add jobs anywhere in Aiken County. Any time we can improve the quality of life and the economy - that's our job." Mr. Young also said Gov. Mark Sanford would attend an announcement ceremony Wednesday, when more details are expected. Privately, local officials said the size of the property gives Flanders Corp. plenty of room to build and expand. The investment is seen as a bet on the future economic health of the federal nuclear reservation, which has been the scene of a series of layoffs since the end of the Cold War. Mr. Young agreed. "They have enough confidence to believe they (SRS) are going to be around for awhile," he said. Although the focus of SRS supporters has been on new missions for the federal nuclear site, the Flanders plant will serve the needs of current operations, including Savannah River National Laboratory, the tritium production plant for thermonuclear weapons and the facility where nuclear triggers are removed from surplus bombs and warheads. "Just about everything we do, any place where radioactive stuff is worked on," said Mal McKibben, the executive director for Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness, a pro-industry group based in Aiken. "That's just a broad-based technology designed to contain nuclear material."
Reach Jim Nesbitt at (803) 648-1395, ext. 111 or jim.nesbitt@augustachronicle.com
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