Changing Demographics
Part 9- County enters a Boom Time
By KATHLEEN MCKEVITT Sentinel Writer

Tom Murphy, Executive Director of the Union County Development Authority.

Thomas Murphy, Jr. was hired by the County seven years ago as Executive Director to bring commerce into the area. In his own words his intent was "not seeking explosive growth, but rather to sustain a level of active growth, which providing good job opportunities for the people."

What no one thought much about 10 years ago was that some of the 78 million baby boomers would start retiring to places like north Georgia, and what no one knew about was that there would be Katrina and like storms in the deep South causing people to think about moving to safer climes. Appalachia has been, and will likely continue to be one of the places in the nation experiencing increased growth, even though housing and property sales have been declining in many other parts of the nation.

In the last year or so, the county has seen several new residential areas come in, including the Copperhead Lodge, a resort catering to motorbiking clients, Applewood Doors and Windows,who employs over 30 people making windows and doors from wood, an expanded airport, a newly expanded hospital, Cott Beverage, and Cushman Fruit Company. Not including the airport and hospital, these new businesses alone have brought in around 150 new jobs.

Sentinel photo/Kathleen McKevitt The City is preparing to add 500 feet to the recently-expanded 5000-ft. runway.

Cott Beverage tripled its income between 2005 and 2006 with another increase certain for 2007. Cott distributes entirely to Wal-Mart, with at least six plants dedicated to the conglomerate.

United Community Bank is building their Corporate Operations Center Training facility in the Airport Industrial Park, along with a large warehouse. All corporate training will take place there which will bring more people into the local motels and shops, and restaurants, according to Murphy.

But these pale in comparison to what is about to occur within Union County: a new Super Wal-Mart. The Wal- Mart project is a "nearly done deal," according to Tom Murphy, and when complete and built on the thirty acres, one mile south of the Blairsville city limits, it will provide 350-plus jobs. If all goes as intended, as Murphy believes it will, Wal-Mart could break ground as early as September 2007, with the building being complete by the Spring of 2008.

What will the impact be? According to Murphy, "the real estate market will grow, there will be growth in the medical community, churches, local business, and certainly the airport will be impacted. In addition, the property taxes, inventory taxes and sales taxes coming into the county because of it will be enormous."

This Wal-Mart will be located just off Interstate 515, across the road from Nelson Tractors, and just south of the Forest Service building. It will be the third of three new Wal- Marts in the north Georgia area.

Murphy says, "we're in the jobs business, not the real estate business." The Union County Development Authority continues to approach other largescale businesses for the area like Target, and Publix, both of which say that Blairsville is still "too small" for them to consider a store here. "But," says Murphy, "we're in a boom period, and they might just change their minds some day."

The airport has already started expanding in expectation of future needs. It now includes a 5000-foot runway with plans to add another 500 feet. Along with the paving and lighting, it was a three milliondollar project, and, it's now a regional airport, sporting 31 new T-hangers which were completed in 2006. It is presently able to accommodate private jets along with other small planes.

Tom Murphy, who has been on the job as Executive Director of the UCDA for the last twelve years says, "It just isn't the same town." Nor will it be in the years ahead. Murphy notes that other boom times have seen boot- and shoemaking companies, dress-making companies, and other manufacturing businesses come, and go, in the Blairsville area. As the area enjoys a new boom time, the county will realize increases in tax revenues like it has never seen before.

What's the price of all this growth? That data is being compiled for a later edition in this series.

To those who are watchdogging our water sources, our mountain run-off, our natural lands being developed, and the effect on wildlife, it is clear that local government, and the people of north Georgia need to start looking at protection for, and zoning of lands that people don't want zoned.

Local leadership agrees that the growth in the area could easily jump from a planned 4-5 percent a year to 6 percent and up! It seems probable. The Downtown Development Authority is looking at the city of Blairsville and how it can accommodate future growth, help create a "flowthrough" design around the old courthouse and routes 129/19 north and south that will help local businesses thrive, and new traffic move with ease, but the plans have not yet turned into implementation.

The Mayor, Jim Conley, and the City Council approve new businesses in the area each month, and have so far managed to keep track of it all without enacting new laws or regulations. But they are also looking at even further expansions to the airport.

The state of the State's economy is somewhere between 8th, and 10th in the nation. The state of Union County's economy is also growing. For county leaders it's somewhere between comfortable and terrifying. The demand on local resources increases with the expanse of commerce, and commerce along with real estate sales is in a certain growth trend even when the nation is realizing a softening in the housing market.

Murphy says, "people have been going out of town to shop, to dine, to live. We already had a low unemployment rate, but now, anyone who wants a job can have one, with all the new industry coming into the area, and now many more people will be doing their shopping locally."

The demographics are shifting and changing to a highgrowth trend in north Georgia.