Bobby Ledbetter’s
Twin City Used Car Sales 1411 Glenn Blvd SW, Fort Payne, AL 35967
WWW.BOBBYLEDBETTER.COM • (256) 844-2210
THE SOUTHERN TORCH / FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2018 / VOL. 4, NO. 4 / $1.00
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>> THIS WEEK IN COMMUNITY Renowned Circus returns to Rainsville
Rep. Brooks promotes 'Right to Try'
Business Booming in DIndustrial eKalb! park Company to reopen Crossville Plant
named "AdvantageSite"
The I-59 Industrial Park on Jordan Road in Fort Payne has been designated an, “Alabama AdvantageSite” which helps bring in new businesses and manufacturing who may be thinking about relocating to Fort Payne. (DeKalb County Economic Development Authority)
By Staff Reports
Mohegan Renewable Energy recently announced the purchase of the Lee Energy Solutions Facility on Highway 68, which they will be reopening to produce wood pellets out of wood waste for a low cost, renewable heating solution. (Tyler Pruett | Southern Torch)
By Tyler Pruett Managing Editor tyler@southerntorch.com
CROSSVILLE, Ala. — 50 new jobs will heading to Crossville, after the Mohegan Tribe announced they have purchased Lee Energy Solutions, located on Highway 68. The “Mohegans” are a Native American tribe located in Connecticut. They recently created a new division, Mohegan Renewable Energy, to export biomass energy sources to global markets. These “biomass energy sources,” are wood pellets
produced from wood waste for a low-cost heating solution. The pellets are called, “ThermaGlo,” and is a, “wood pellet fuel for home heating which is environmentally sensitive and created from wood fiber waste and untreated residue generated from wood processing,” according to their website. The Crossville facility will be able to produce 100,000 tons of this renewable energy source per year, in addition to their already existing facility in Jasper, Tennessee. With the two plants combined, Mohegan Renewable Energy
will ship more than, “180,000 tons of wood pellets domestically and internationally to major utilities each year.” **We asked the company where citizens can go to apply, which they’ve stated they will let us know soon. The company had just put the banner up this morning, and had likely not started the hiring process yet.** According to the release from the Mohegan Tribe: “Mohegan Holding Company, a subsidiary of the Mohegan Tribe, announced today that they have created a new division, Mohegan Renewable Energy, to export biomass
energy sources to global markets. Due to significant growth in output, Mohegan Renewable Energy has recently acquired a 100,000-tons per year manufacturing plant in Crossville, Alabama which, along with their Jasper, Tennessee plant, will ship more than 180,000 tons of wood pellets domestically and internationally to major utilities each year. Combined, this increase in production will add over 50 new employees in the coming months.
>> See CROSSVILLE PLANT, P2
By Tyler Pruett Managing Editor
Rainsville. “The process took about a month,” said Smith. “Then earlier this week, a representative from the company called and said, ‘it came through, come get your truck!'” Chief Smith went to Huntsville and brought back the department’s armored truck late last week. For it’s future use, Chief Smith hopes it will serve the city as a mobile command post and save lives in times of disasters. “This is something we can use to evacuate people with if need be in time of disasters or emergencies and we can also use it to rescue wounded from an active shooting type situation,” said
Smith. “It will be one of the only armored vehicles in the area.” “The truck can also pull a large amount of weight, allowing it to be utilized to move debris from the roadways if God forbid we had another storm like the April 27, 2011 Tornado,” said Smith. The truck will be getting outfitted with new radio equipment and a light bar. Smith says the new equipment will be donated by the community, and the addition will be without cost to the City of Rainsville. “We’re excited to have it and it certainly has the potential to save lives in the unfortunate event of a disaster,” said Smith.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – (Video of the Announcement at the Fort Payne City Council Meeting on our website) The I-59 Fort Payne Industrial Park in DeKalb County has received the Alabama AdvantageSite designation. The AdvantageSite program requires that community economic development organizations provide documentation specific to a proposed industrial site, including a set of standard data related to ownership/control, environmental and geotechnical conditions, and infrastructure status. Sites must also meet size, zoning and accessibility requirements. The 39-acre industrial park is located within the Fort Payne city limits and has access to Interstate 59 via Jordan Road and Alabama 35. All utilities are at the site. The park also is located in a New Market Tax Credit area of the state. The application process was managed locally by the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority with a team of local entities supporting and/or participating in the process. “Economic development has changed tremendously and has become extremely competitive as communities vie for new industry and jobs,” said Fort Payne Mayor Larry Chesser. “For the past several years, our city has worked to fully develop the I-59 industrial site located on Jordan Road to make it competitive with other sites in the Southeast.”
>> See ADVANTAGESITE, P2
Brink's donates truck to Rainsville
tyler@southerntorch.com
FRIDAY 1/26
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RAINSVILLE, Ala. — When the Brink’s Security Armored Transport Division retires a truck used to handle large amounts of money, they have two options: they can either scrap the vehicle, or if it’s usable, donate it to a police department for their use. About a month ago, Rainsville Patrolman Casey Jones approached Chief Kevin Smith about an opportunity through Brink’s Security to acquire one of these retired vehicles for the department. Jones had been a guard for the company before working as a police officer in
The Brink’s truck parked behind the Rainsville Police Department. The vehicle will be getting an overhaul; with new sirens and radio equipment, donated by the local community. (Tyler Pruett | Southern Torch) Visit our website at www.southerntorch.com for daily news updates and pick up your weekly print edition at news stands every Friday.